>>3388646

>Updates: https://twitter.com/MolochQM
>Previous threads: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=NERV%20Second%20Daughter

“The AT Field,” Doctor Ingrid Bergmann begins, “I'm sure you have a lot of questions about it, but-”

“Just one, actually,” Claudia interrupts, a smug look already on her face, “What is it, exactly?”

Bergmann glares, clearly unamused by the interruption. “The AT Field is a kind of energy that all living things possess, albeit in a weak form. It's the life force, the essence of an individual's being. An inner strength. The soul, if you prefer to think of it that way,” she explains, punctuating her words with tight, precise gestures, “Lilim possess an AT Field that is vastly more powerful than that of any normal human. Their AT Fields are powerful enough to be an external force – a shield that can protect them from any mundane attacks. That is why we need the ADM Units.”

“The ADM Units are capable of, ah... amplifying human AT Fields,” Commander Monroe adds, “It's like shouting though a big ol' microphone!”

“Thank you, Diane. I'll handle the science,” Doctor Bergmann states bluntly, all but shooing Commander Monroe away. It's clear who wears the pants in that relationship. “However, that is essentially correct. The ADM Units are capable of amplifying your own natural AT Field into something that can rival that of a Lilim. As well as protecting the ADM Unit itself, your AT Field allows you to cut through a Lilim's defences and destroy them,” Bergmann continues, “But that is only the most mundane use of it. Human ingenuity is boundless, and our research promises to uncover more... active ways to use the AT Field.”

As Doctor Bergmann turns away to check something on her computer, Nate leans over to you. “Hey!” the young girl whispers, “I think she's talking about blowing stuff up!”

“I have a number of tests prepared,” Bergmann continues, swinging around in her chair, “Holly, I'd like you to try them first. These are strictly voluntary, of course, but don't you want to advance the cause of science?”

Tests. You don't like the sound of this...

“First of all, I want to run a standard combat simulation. This time, though, we'll be measuring your psychological responses to the training. I also have a test focused on concentration, mental focus. That's very important for manipulating an AT Field,” Bergmann smiles slowly, “Claudia is already showing a great deal of potential in that area, by the way. You don't want to fall behind, do you?”

When you don't answer this, she continues. “Finally, there's a paired test. You'd need to choose a partner for that one, or I can assign someone,” the doctor concludes, “So, what do feel like trying?”

>None of them. You're not her lab rat
>The combat simulation. You can do combat
>The mental focus test. You can't let Claudia beat you!
>The paired test, with... (write in)
>Other

>>3388649
>The combat simulation. You can do combat

>>3388649
>The combat simulation. You can do combat
Sounds like we are doing all of them eventually right?

>>3388649
>>The paired test, with... (write in)
Nate

“I'll do the combat simulation,” you decide with a shrug, “I can DO combat.”

“So we've seen,” Doctor Bergmann muses, picking up her pen and scratching down a note on her clipboard. An oddly long note, considering the simple question she had you answer. Leaning forwards as inconspicuously as you can, you sneak a glimpse at the paper. Unfortunately, Bergmann is either writing in code or her handwriting is just that bad – your brief glance reveals nothing, not a single squiggle that you can recognise as a letter. “Just follow me, then. I'll show you through,” the doctor continues, giving you a lofty wave, “The rest of you, you're dismissed for now. You can head back to the dorms if you wish.”

With a certain air of relief, the others leave. “So... am I going to need to do all of those tests at some point?” you ask Bergmann, “I mean...”

“Perhaps not all of them, and we can tackle them at a time of your choosing. There's nothing to gain by taking on too much at once,” Bergmann confirms, gesturing for you to follow her out of the lab, “I might ask you to lend a hand with my research from time to time, if you're not busy with other matters. With your compatibility rating as high as it is, I'm quite eager to study you. Were there any other tests you wanted to do?”

“I wouldn't mind trying that paired test,” you think aloud, “With Nate... Natasha, I mean. Would that be possible?”

Bergmann pauses, giving you a thoughtful look for a moment. Then she smiles, a cold light of inspiration gleaming in her single eye. “You know,” she murmurs, “That might be a very good idea.”

-

The simulation labs are remarkably boring to look at. A plain room with dull steel walls and several banks of computer terminals, it could be any number of things... if it wasn't for the row of metal tubes half-sunk into the floor. Entry plugs, although not fitted to an ADM Unit. One of them is already open, and Bergmann bids for you to enter it. Settling into the chair, you allow her to slide the helmet over your head. This, at least, is different – a bulkier unit compared with the helmet you usually wear, and heavier to match. Once the helmet is in place, you feel various probes and sensors tightening down against your scalp.

“No need to panic, we're just getting the instruments ready,” Bergmann assures you, stepping back and hitting a switch on the outside of the entry plug. It closes up, plunging you into darkness. The darkness is short-lived, however, as a light soon unfolds before you and all around you. Hiding somewhere within that white light, you feel a presence watching you with curiosity but no hostility. A childish curiosity, and you find yourself imagining a giggle to go with it.

“We're launching the simulation now,” the doctor announces over your radio, “Are you okay? Your readings spiked for a moment.”

“All good in here,” you whisper back to her.

[1/2]

>>3388709

Light becomes form, the white void shrinking back into the blocky shapes of buildings. Texture comes next, layers of concrete and glass unfurling across the blank canvas. You were expecting it to look good, but this is on a whole other level. Looking out across the simulated city, you're not sure if you could tell it apart from the real thing. There are a few small hints that give it away – a building that you see repeated a little too much, an unnatural regularity to the clouds above – but other than that... it's uncanny.

“The Trimurti system is the most powerful computer unit ever created,” Doctor Bergmann announces proudly, “We may yet see the day where the works of men rival the heavens themselves!”

As she gloats, the world around you continues to develop. Now the streets are filled with people and the roads are alive with traffic. Looking down, you watch as the cars speed merrily towards the legs of your simulated ADM Unit. Rather than crashing into it, they simply ghost through the giant machine. A glaring reminder that you're not in reality. Looking up, you see a grid of light forming, a humanoid shape caged within it. The simulated Lilim is spare on detail, appearing almost like an untextured version of an ADM Unit. Perhaps they don't have enough data to replicate one of those yet. Either way...

“Your objective is to destroy the target at all costs. At ALL costs,” Bergmann stresses, “How you do that is up to you. The simulation is going live in three... two... one...”

All of a sudden, the world snaps into life. Down below you, cars swerve madly to avoid your ADM Unit. Panic breaks out as the civilians begin to flee wildly, running in all directions as the Lilim begins to move slowly forwards. It advances a few paces, then pauses to smash a nearby building with an almost lethargic swipe of one muscular arm. This only intensifies the chaos, and you feel a faint pang of sensation as a car crashes into your leg.

“Why are you just standing there?” Doctor Bergmann asks, her voice calm, “You have your orders, pilot. Destroy the target.”

“But there are people down there!” you cry out. Simulated people, as you try to remind yourself, but they don't LOOK simulated. They look as real as you or Claire, as real as anyone else you've met at NERV. With so many panicked bodies swirling around your feet, you can barely move without risking collateral damage. Even if you had a rifle – and this simulation has given you nothing more than your bare hands – the situation could still end in disaster.

“Continue with your mission, Reynolds,” Bergmann orders, and this time her voice has a hard edge to it.

>Destroy the target, whatever the cost
>Refuse. This test is over!
>There has to be some other way... (Write in)
>Other

>>3388782
>Destroy the target whatever the cost

It's juat a simulation and we have no reason to suspect otherwise

>>3388782
>There has to be some other way... (Write in)
Unless there is a lake or ocean or unpopulated area we can take the fight to are best course of action is to keep the fight contained to ONE location as much as possible. Civvies will eventually clear the area away from the fight if they know where to run from.

Focus on grappling for the short term to try and keep the fight in a small area. No swinging buildings if we can help it.

>>3388782
>There has to be some other way... (Write in)
Can we climb the buildings without ruining them (and the "people" inside them)? Or at least use them to propel ourselves further by grabbing onto them and jumping? Are there things we can throw that do not have people inside them? Does our ADM unit have some kind of loud speakers we can use to direct the people below? Are we exactly in the middle of a city, or can we see outskirts and/or abandoned places?

Lots of questions, but the general gist of it is, let's try to find a way to complete the mission while minimizing the cost.

>>3388782
>Destroy the target, whatever the cost
It's a literal simulation. Killing the Lilim is more important than a few virtual casualties and anyone who says otherwise is not being pragmatic. More virtuals will die if we dont kill it now.
Attack!

>>3388839
Course I'm not being pragmatic. I'm playing a 15 year old girl with mental issues.

>>3388846
Anger issues.

>>3388849
Pretty sure it goes deeper than that. 'Claire' and all.

Complete your mission. It's just a simulation, after all. Destroy the target, complete the mission.

“Issue an evacuation order, get everyone away from here!” you snap, “Call in whatever support we can to clear the area. I'm going to try and pin the target here.” Your orders seem to go unanswered for a moment, and then the simulation begins to change – to adjust itself according to your whims. Wireframe grids appear in the air, glowing with a brief light before unmanned drones appear within. With sirens flashing brightly, the unmanned vehicles swoop down and then begin bellowing orders to the civilians.

“We're evacuating the area now,” Bergmann tells you, a faint note of smug satisfaction in her voice, “What now, Reynolds?”

“Pin the target down in the nearest depopulated area,” you reply, scanning the horizon for a good candidate. There, not too far away, you spy a park. Had it always been there, or was this another adjustment the simulation made for you. Either way, it's the closest thing to a deserted area that you can see. Glancing down, you see the police drones herding the panicked civilians to the sides of the road in an attempt at clearing you a path. The road remains littered with abandoned cars and trucks, but you'll call those acceptable losses.

The Lilim turns and clumsily raises one arm to smash another building, but the blow never lands. Charging up the now empty road, you lunge forwards and catch the monster's wrist in your hand. Barrelling forwards, you lower your shoulder and allow your momentum to slam the Lilim back towards the park. Now that you're engaged with the monster, it offers little in the way of a fight – that's not what this simulation is about, after all. This isn't about fighting, it's about managing a situation. You see that now.

Pinning the simulated Lilim down, you drive a fist into its featureless chest. Blow after blow rains down, and soon the creature splits open. As soon as the core is revealed, the entire simulation pauses. Details begin to bleed away, leaving you in the hollow skeleton of the virtual world.

“Good work,” Bergmann announces, “We need you to remain in the entry plug for a little longer, just so we can finish collecting our data, but we're done here. That didn't take very long at all, did it?”

“That's it?” you hear yourself ask.

“That's it,” the doctor confirms, “We wanted to test your initial reaction, that's all. I'll explain more once you're out – I prefer talking face to face.”

Letting out a slow breath, you look about at the frozen simulation. It seemed all too real only a few seconds ago, but now the illusion is fading away. Before it fades completely, you spot a figure standing in the middle of the street – a girl, with dull red eyes and a wave of pale, almost white, hair. She looks back up at you, and-

“Exiting the simulation now,” someone announces.

[1/2]

>>3388839
>>3388802
Just remember that we threw shade on Kaori for disregarding civilian casualties.

>>3388880
>a girl, with dull red eyes and a wave of pale, almost white, hair
Not!Kaworu? Not!Yui? Not!Magi?

>>3388888
I understand that. But fundamentally those were REAL people.
I'm obviously going to advise differently when we arent in a vidya game

>>3388890
It's the [Second Daughter]™ All rights reserved.

>>3388890
There are pics from the first thread of all the characters if you are curious

>>3388892
I don't think you get the point of simulations. They are used to train for *real* situations in a consequence-free environment. If you disregard the whole thing because "it's a simulation", then we might as well not be in the simulation at all because there is no point.

>>3388880

“We like to have an idea of what our pilots are likely to do when placed in an “extreme” situation,” Doctor Bergmann begins, offering you a flimsy cup of hot tea, “That was a bitter lesson we learned at Berlin. In reality, we don't expect that you'll EVER be placed in a situation like that – we've worked very hard on our evacuation protocols, and the residents here have been given extensive training. Still, emergencies can happen.”

“So...” you pause, wincing as you take a sip of the vile tea, “Did I get it right?”

“I'd say so,” Bergmann nods, “In reality, anything that ended in the target's destruction would be considered an “acceptable” solution. Even if you had frozen up, we'd know a little more about you. That kind of information is equally important.”

Discretely setting aside the tea, you think for a moment more. “So do we actually have those police drone things?” you ask, “I've never seen any around.”

“Ah, those. They're currently in the testing stage, but we're hoping to roll those out soon enough. It's strange, though. Those shouldn't have been included in the simulations just yet,” Bergmann frowns in thought, “Well, we're still working out some of the glitches. Either that, or it was human error. Still, we'll have to postpone any further tests until I review this data for any further... irregularities.”

“I saw...” you begin, your voice trailing off as you hesitate. That girl you saw, she didn't seem to be a part of the simulation... although you're not sure if you'd call her “real” either. She seemed to exist in some obscure state, neither one thing nor the other.

Waiting patiently for you to voice your thoughts, Doctor Bergmann idly twirls a strand of her hair around one finger.

>Change the subject. You saw nothing
>Mention the girl you saw
>Question her instead... (Write in)
>Other

>>3388922
>>Change the subject. You saw nothing

>>3388922
>Question her instead... (Write in)
"If this place keeps getting attacked shouldn't the residents like live somewhere else?"

>>3388922
>Question her instead... (Write in)
Are they going to get us better melee weaponry?
I want a pollaxe.

>>3388922
>Question her
Does the simulation have any side effects? Like maybe visions?

>>3388937
Pile bunker is pretty lit as it is imo

>>3388940
It's as damaging as the rifle without the range advantage.

>>3388941
Considering how fast the first Lilim closed into melee I don't think range advantage is going to count for much against certain targets. And once it's there we get a -10 to Hit or a 2 damage bare hands.

It's all going to be situational anyways.

>>3388922
Backing
>>3388939

“I saw a few problems with the clouds,” you finish quickly, shoving all thoughts of the strange girl down to the back of your mind, “Glitches, you know? Like they were repeating themselves way too much.”

Bergmann sighs, as if disappointed by your answer. “Yes, I've heard that. All things considered, the clouds were relatively low down on our list of priorities when we were creating the simulations,” shrugging, she jots down a quick note, “But I'll be sure to let the engineers know. Better clouds next time.”

“Say... these simulations don't have any side-effects, do they?” you ask next, “I mean, I'm not about to start seeing things outside of the tubes, am I?”

“Kaori has undergone more simulated exercises than anyone else here, and she's never reported anything like that,” Bergmann answers, “You could ask her yourself if you're not convinced. However, as far as I'm able to tell you, there are no side-effects associated with the simulated training. You've got nothing to worry about, Holly.”

Despite everything, you laugh a little at this. “Nothing to worry about except for, shit, an alien invasion or whatever this is. It's not like we're at ground zero or anything,” you reply with a wry smile, “Although, speaking of that. If we're just going to get attacked, over and over again, when why are people still allowed to live here? Shouldn't they all be relocated to somewhere safer?”

A thoughtful look passes across Bergmann's face. “I wonder,” she murmurs at last, “I won't – can't – get into the minutia of it, but this debate has been going on for quite some time. There is one camp that agrees with you, they believe that NERV installations should be kept far, far away from civilian populations. On the other hand, we're not sure if that would guarantee safety. Here, the ADM Units are capable of a quick response. If a Lilim strode out of the sea tomorrow and attacked... say, Paris, we wouldn't be able to respond as quickly.”

“Is that likely?” you breathe, “A Lilim attacking Paris, I mean.”

“They want to exterminate us, Holly. All of us. No city is completely from them. Avalon, though, is a fortress. Built to withstand nuclear war, or a repeat of Second Impact, there are few places on this Earth that are safer,” she sighs, shrugs, “But it's all out of my hands. The decision was made before you were even born.”

These words come as you were risking another sip of tea, and you nearly choke. “What?” you splutter, “What-”

“Now then, I need to start working on analysing these results. We're close to a big breakthrough,” Bergmann interrupts, “You'd best run along now, Holly. Was there anything else?”

You know changing the subject when you hear it. “When are you going to get me some better tools?” you ask, “Something with some REAL kick to it.”

“Take that up with Fletcher,” the doctor tells you, “I just handle the research.”

[1/2]

>>3388986

The dorms are unusually quiet when you return. Hester is baking something in the kitchen, but nobody else is about. The television mumbles away in the background, the sound on some daytime show turned way down. Nodding a quick greeting to the maid, you turn and hurry into your own room. Flopping down on your bed, you grab your tablet and check Labyrinth. When you see the message waiting for you, you sit bolt upright.

Phantom: Big news. The suspect responsible for the sabotage has been arrested.
HLLY06: Gimme the details. Name? Motive? Hurry hurry hurry.
Phantom: Wait. This isn't a good time.
Phantom: You're about to get a visitor.

Groaning, you hear a knock on the door. A moment later, Commander Monroe calls out a cheerful greeting and your mood sinks even lower. Reluctantly emerging from your room, you see the commander pacing about with a stiff smile on her face. “Holly!” she calls out, patting the sofa by the television, “I heard that Hester was going to be baking a coffee cake, and I just had to stop by. Looks like it won't be ready for a while yet, though. Ah well...” She sits, and you grudgingly sit down next to her.

She wants something, and playing along seems like the quickest way to get her out of your hair. Once she's gone, you can get back to the Labyrinth.

“So, how's school been treating you? We opted to put you in a more, ah, laid back environment. There's a more formal school here, but I thought that this was better for everyone involved,” Monroe purses her lips as she thinks, toying with the TV remote, “Come to think of it, your old school was quite formal wasn't it? Did you like it more back there?”

Almost instinctively, your guard comes down as she probes for information. “It was okay,” you tell her carefully, cautiously, “I don't really want to talk about it that much, actually.”

“Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just trying to get to know you a little better,” Monroe presses, “What were the other kids like? I confess, I did a little research and... well, they looked like a tough crowd. Had a bit of a delinquency problem, didn't it? The school, I mean. There was some gossip about students... running away. I thought-”

Something snaps. “I said that I don't want to talk about it!” you yell, slamming your palm down onto the table as a sudden anger boils up within you. A cold silence falls over the room, and you slowly look about. Hester has turned to stare in shock, covering her mouth with one delicate hand, while Monroe watches you sadly.

“That's okay,” she murmurs gently, “You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to.”

With your cheeks burning, you feel a hollow pit opening up in your stomach. A voice that only you can hear whispers a question – do you feel proud of yourself?

>You should do something, but... (Write in)

>>3389059
>Apologize for your outburst, but ask her to leave.

>>3389059
>Channel your inner Trip and ask her to leave.

>>3389059
>Did I like it? Yes I liked it so much I took a plate and gave some rich bitch a concussions. THAT was fun. The actual school? Not so much.

>>3389059
Supporting >>3389072

>>3389059
>You should do something, but... (Write in)
"Fuck. Sorry. Look Monroe if you want to pry into my past be upfront about it. You pretending to be friendly just pisses me off because if you were trying to be my friend you wouldn't fuckin' keep going after I said I didn't want to talk about it.

You're doing it again – making a mess of everything. Take a deep breath, you tell yourself, and salvage something from all this.

“Fuck,” you mutter, immediately wincing at how the curse sounds in the quiet room. Even the TV seems to have fallen silent, although you can see the garish commercials continuing to roll in the corner of your eye. “Look, Monroe, if you're going to pry into my past, just be honest about it,” you continue, forcing yourself to continue, “Because this friendly act isn't working with me. If we were being friendly, then you wouldn't keep asking when I tell you to stop, you know? When I said that I didn't want to talk about it, I wasn't fucking kidding.”

“I see that now,” Monroe agrees, nodding slowly as if some great secret had been revealed to her. The secret of normal social interaction, perhaps.

“Did I like my old school? Sure, I liked it,” you add, savouring the bitterness of the memory, “I enjoyed it so much that I wrapped a dinner tray around some girl's head because she was talking shit. That was better than the whole school.” Glancing around, you see Hester distancing herself, very deliberately concentrating on the oven. Swallowing heavily, you point to the door with a mostly steady hand. “I'm sorry for yelling, I guess, but I'd like you to leave now,” you tell Monroe, “I'll... I'll save a bit of cake for you if you do.”

“Deal,” she murmurs, rising and silently slipping out without a backwards glance. Her lack of resistance leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Maybe you'd been hoping for a fight, for a damn good argument. Frowning guiltily to yourself, you flee back into your bedroom to find Claire sitting on the edge of your bed.

“I'm sorry,” she whispers, “But I was eavesdropping. I couldn't help it.”

“I guess the whole building heard that,” you reply with a brittle smile. Considering your track record, you'd be the biggest hypocrite in the world if you complained about her listening in. “Was I too harsh on her?” you ask as you sit, idly toying with the tablet, “I mean, I know that I apologised and all, but...”

“Oh no. No,” Claire shakes her head, “I mean like, why would she pry like that if she wasn't trying something funny. I don't know, Holly. It just seems like, super suspicious to me. If she really wanted to know about all that stuff, don't you think she'd have some other way of doing it?”

“Sure. Like reading my file,” you sigh, pressing a finger to your lips as you open up Labyrinth again. Claire huddles in close, leaning into you as she peers at the screen.

HLLY06: She's gone now. Give me the information.
Phantom: Here. Don't forget to use earphones.

A moment later, a video file pops up on the screen. Slipping in your earbuds, you click the link.

[1/2]

>>3389157

Grainy, low resolution footage. A bland room with the appearance of a police interview room – or, at least, the television representation of one. Somehow, you've managed to avoid ending up in a police cell up until now. One man sits, cuffed to the table. Thin and scrawny, with a kind of nervous energy about him. The other man paces, his face turned away from the camera. He could be anyone, until he finally sits and reveals his face. Fletcher.

“You're in a lot of trouble, my friend,” Fletcher begins, looking the prisoner straight in the eye.

“It doesn't matter what you do to me,” the prisoner replies, his voice as thin as his appearance, “You'll get your judgement eventually. By what right do you stand in the way of God's plan?”

“I don't see what boiling all those people alive has to do God's plan,” Fletcher counters, “But it's been a while since I attended Sunday school. Maybe they teach it differently these days. How about you explain that to me?”

The prisoner hesitates, but he can only hold back his madness for so long. “Mankind was never meant to survive Second Impact,” he spits, “It should have been a great purge, an end to all things, but men have blinded themselves to God's will. Now, He has sent His angels to punish us. We seek to hasten this process, by whatever means possible. We-”

Fletcher lunges forwards, grabbing the prisoner by his shirt collar and dragging him across the table. “I want to know more,” the mercenary hisses, “Everything you know. I'm going to MAKE you talk.”

The video ends there.

-

Phantom: I cut the video off early. It gets nasty from here.
Phantom: His name is Thurbes. Alan Thurbes. Manual labourer, no real past history of anything. A nobody.
Phantom: He belongs to a group calling themselves “Wormwood”. A doomsday cult, essentially. The authorities are trying to round up the other members now, but it's hard. No official records, no leads to go on.
HLLY06: How did you get this video?
Phantom: Friends in high places, and cyber security delivered by the lowest bidder.
HLLY06: Good for me, I guess.
HLLY06: Wait.
HLLY06: How did Fletch get in to question the dude? Not to mention beat the stuffing out of him.
Phantom: Friends in high places, I assume. Higher than mine.
HLLY06: Gross. Well, what now?
Phantom: My advice? Wait and see what Fletcher does next. What he's willing to share with you.
Phantom: My bet is “not much”.

Then, without another word, Phantom vanishes offline. “Shit,” you breathe, closing the tablet, “Now what?”

“Wait and see, apparently,” Claire replies, nodding to the tablet, “Although that's sooooo boring! I guess I'm just no good at this waiting around stuff...”

“Thinking isn't going to get us anywhere,” you murmur, rolling your eyes at the idea.

“Right? Right!” Claire agrees, your sarcasm flying clean over her head.

[2/3]

>>3389235

There's something satisfying about the way a dart thuds into the board. You're no good at aiming the damn things, but it sure is satisfying to throw them. The smell of fresh coffee cake wafts through from the kitchen, and your mouth keeps watering. It's just cooling now, apparently, so the frosting won't melt. The “icing”, Hester calls it. Some weird English thing, you guess. Either way, you're looking forwards to it.

It's almost enough to take your mind off the video, and the thought of Fletcher beating information out of a handcuffed man.

“Oh, DO try and get the darts to land on the target,” Claudia sighs, flouncing over to the yank the missiles free from the dartboard, “Honestly Holly, you don't seem to be taking this very seriously at all! What happened to all that target shooting you were doing?”

“That's completely different,” Kaori argues, not even bothering to look up from the pool table, “Which you would know, Rainer, if you had bothered to do even the slightest bit of training. I asked the staff down there – you've still not done your basics.”

“You guys get GUNS?” Nate gasps, “Oh man, I'm missing out. I've just been screwing about with like, magic tricks. You know, like trying to guess cards and stuff? I totally suck at it, though. I keep telling Doctor Bergmann that I should be doing some real training, but she says-”

Claudia silences the younger girl with a gesture. “Now that reminds me,” the heiress whispers, a fiendish smile crossing her face, “I've got a question for you ladies. Now, gather around and listen closely. It's something I've been thinking about lately, and I wanted to get your opinion. What I'm asking you is simple... who do you think is REALLY calling the shots around here? Who's giving the orders?”

A silence greets this. “I don't care,” Kaori states bluntly, “Some questions are better off unasked.”

“Um...” Nate tentatively raises her hand, “Commander Monroe is... well, I mean, she's the commander. That means she's in change, right?”

Letting out a hollow laugh, Claudia turns to you. “What do you think, then?” she asks you, “Our dear leader Commander Monroe, as Nate says, or someone else?”

“I don't see the point in any of this, but...” Kaori argues, only to give up with a sigh and a shrug, “Oh fine. Do what you want.”

Claudia's gaze remains fixed on you, a faint challenge implicit in the insolent twist of her lips.

>Monroe IS the commander here, so...
>Fletcher is the military man. He's a natural leader
>Bergmann seems like the brains of this operation
>Don't care. It literally doesn't matter
>Other

>>3389306
>Bergmann seems like the brains of this operation

>Other
"I wouldn't be surprised if there was someone or someones above them though."

>>3389306
>>Bergmann seems like the brains of this operation

>>3389306
>Other
I would say someone above Monroe is giving the orders, and she is only an XO.

>>3389306
>>Bergmann seems like the brains of this operation

>>3389315
Also in agreement with this anon here tho. If they do have a Big Boss calling the shots I doubt they are even on site.

>>3389306
>Bergmann seems like the brains of this operation
We're all just data points! It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!

>>3389306
>No one we’ve met. Although I bet Bergman is higher up than the other two.

>>3389306
>It's gotta be the Bergmeister

“Bergmann seems like the brains of this operation, although she has to be taking orders from someone else. Someone we've not had the pleasure of meeting yet,” you muse, taking your time to give Claudia her answer, “Monroe might be the “official” leader here, but she's just here for show. Bergmann is higher up than Monroe OR Fletcher, if we're putting them in some kind of... stupid order.”

“Power levels,” Nate giggles, “Her command level is over... I don't know, something high. Like crazy high.”

“Okay, great, so we're in the bowels of a grand conspiracy,” Kaori sighs, “So what?”

“So... isn't it exciting?” Claudia stresses, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She looks around at you all, waiting expectantly for the chorus of agreement. When it doesn't come, she pouts a little. “Doctor Bergmann wanted to do some tests with me later. When we're alone, I'm going to give her a good and proper interrogation, just you wait!” she continues, “You lot can all sit around playing house if you like, but I'm going to get some answers! There's just one very important step first.”

Another expectant pause. “Fine,” Kaori groans, massaging her brow, “What is this very important step?”

“Cake!” the heiress declares, pointing up to the clock, “It should be ready now!”

-

As Hester sets the table, Claudia “recruits” you to help with... well, she never explains why. She just drags you into the relative privacy of the kitchen. “Bergmann,” she states simply, “You really think so?”

“That's what I said, isn't it?” you shoot back, “I meant what I said.”

“I'm sure you did,” she agrees, nodding to herself, “Right then, Reynolds. You seem like you've got your head screwed on tight. If I find anything out, I'll share it with you. Honestly, you needn't look so surprised – what fun is there in doing all this investigating if you've got nobody to share it with?”

This is all a game to her, you realise, but then what is it to you? Before you can answer this, there is a knock at the door. Monroe and Fletcher, here to take their share of the cake. Vic is with them too, looking faintly apprehensive about... just about everything, really. “Oh gosh!” Hester cries as she bustles about trying to set up more places at the table, “I should have baked a bigger cake!”

“No cake for me. I never had much of a sweet tooth,” Fletcher assures her with a wan smile. A memory flashes through your head – the image of Fletcher clutching Thurbes by the collar, threatening him with all sorts of things. Shuddering, you look down at the rich, moist cake that Hester made. All of a sudden, you don't seem to have much of an appetite. “I came here to talk to you all, actually,” Fletcher adds, “But it can wait for a little. Time to dig in, I think.”

“It's about time!” Monroe announces, as eager as a small child.

[1/2]

>>3389396

“I hope it wasn't too sticky,” Hester frets as she's clearing away the dishes, “I wanted to try using some molasses, but I was worried that I might have used too much. Baking isn't really a fine art, I realise that, but still...”

“It was very nice,” Vic assures her, “My own mother couldn't have made a better cake.”

“Vic!” Nate groans, “Mom can't bake worth a damn, and you know it! She doesn't have the time for any of that, anyway.” Sighing dramatically, she slurps down the last of her hot chocolate and leans back in her chair. “Oh crap!” she squeals a moment later, screwing up her face in a fearful scowl, “I was supposed to be giving up sweets! I told Doctor Bergmann that... that... Oh, well, I guess one little slip can't hurt.”
Fletcher clears his throat, causing you all to fall silent. “I'm glad you're all here. I wanted to talk with you,” he begins, “I've been talking with you, one on one, and I'd like to start by thanking you for your patience and your cooperation. I said that I'd keep you informed, and that's what I'm here for.” Pausing to take a sip of coffee, he continues. “The sabotage was committed by a member of a fringe organisation called Wormwood. They believe that the Lilim are acting in accordance with God's plan, that mankind should be wiped from the Earth,” he explains, “They're not a large group, and we're already working closely with the Avalon police to tackle any remaining members. Even so, I urge you to be cautious when out in the city. I shouldn't need to say this, but don't go and start looking for trouble.”

“Oh drat,” Claudia sighs, “And I was just thinking about joining that cult...”

“What cult?” Fletcher asks sharply, before he realises that she wasn't being serious. “Well, right then,” he continues, “I'm sorry that I don't have any more information for you now, but I wanted to tell you what I had so far. Miss Ross, is there any coffee left in the pot?”

Flashing him a coy smile, Hester leans forwards to pour a little more coffee into his cup. As Fletcher nods his thanks, you sit back and consider the situation. He's revealed almost exactly the same information that Phantom gave you, but that's still more than you had been expecting. Does that mean you can trust the man? Perhaps not, but it's a good sign.

“I'm not expecting much,” the mercenary adds suddenly, “But does the name “Wormwood” seem familiar at all? It's biblical, but I wouldn't place too much meaning in that.”

Nobody answers for a moment, and then Kaori clears her throat. “I saw the word sprayed onto the side of a building here,” she offers, “In the outskirts, I don't recall exactly where. I didn't think much of it at the time, but it doesn't seem like a coincidence. I wouldn't really call it a common word, after all.”

“I see,” Fletcher replies, “I'll have my people check up on that.”

[2/3]

>>3389525
PHANTOM WAS WRONG

>>3389538
Phantom is a faggot who doesnt understand how sacrifice for the greater good works

>>3389546
We should give serious consideration to telling Fletcher about him. If he can use these backdoors so can others.

>>3389558
It's entirely possible that Phantom works for Wormwood and is trying to throw us off. Alternatively Fletcher could be Phantom himself and this whole thing is a loyalty test.

>>3389525

Fletcher stays for a while longer, sipping his coffee and chatting with Monroe, but you give them some room. Not so much room that you won't be able to eavesdrop if you really wanted to, but they don't seem to be talking about anything useful. Either it's some incredibly intricate code, or they really are talking about a movie that was on the previous night. Leaving them to their conversation, you focus on your fellow pilots.

“And what were YOU doing in the outskirts?” Claudia teases, poking Kaori in the arm, “Going into the seedy neighbourhoods, were we?”

“I was taking a walk, that's all,” Kaori counters, “And they're hardly seedy. They might be a little less polished than the city centre, but they're not-”

“Still, it seems very suspicious to me,” the heiress continues, “Don't tell me... you're carrying on an illicit affair with an older man – a MUCH older man – and you can only meet up in the slums. It heightens the excitement, of course, but you need some place where you won't be discovered. Since decent, right-thinking people like us won't ever go out there, you'll be safe from the threat of discovery! Almost the perfect crime... but you just had to go gloating to Fletcher!”

Shocked silence. “You're full of shit,” Kaori manages eventually, shaking her head in disbelief. Nate giggles, only for her laughter to die off as her cellphone chirps. Mumbling an apology, the young girl retreats into her dorm to take the call. A moment later, she pokes her head out and waves you over.

“Hey, uh, it's Doc Bergmann,” Nate whispers, “She wants me to come in for some training. Kinda gross though, doing that right after a big meal. I hope I don't puke my guts up, but... Oh, uh, well, she wanted me to ask if you wanted to come with? She said something about, uh, that pair training thing? It might help me, so like...”

More training, and not at a very convenient time. You had been thinking about contacting Phantom, even reporting the anonymous source to Fletcher, but...

>Attend the pair training with Nate
>Stay in and contact Phantom
>Speak with Fletcher about Phantom
>Hang out with the rest of the pilots
>Other

>>3389610
>Attend the pair training with Nate
For sure

>>3389610
>Attend the pair training with Nate
It's time for FRIENDSHIP

>>3389610
>>>Attend the pair training with Nate

>>3389610
>Attend the pair training with Nate
I'm all for ratting out Phantom but maybe we can get a bit more info from him first

>>3389610
>Speak with Fletcher about Phantom

Cmon guys at least tell him aboit the cameras. What if he has some in the bathrooms?

>>3389668
Pretty sure Phantom is using NERVs own cameras meant to monitor us. So Fletch would already know about them.

>>3389677
He set up his own. We might have seen one attached to a light in the medical office.

>>3389668
I would vote for telling him but it's clear that vote isnt gonna win

Phantom can wait for now. He's not going anywhere, you figure, and neither is Fletcher. The whole matter can wait. “Tell Bergmann that I'm in,” you tell Nate, giving her a brisk nod, “So are we doing this like, now?”

“Uh, hold on...” Nate turns away from you, mumbling something into her cellphone. Nodding a few times, she listens to whatever Bergmann tells her next. Her hand trembles as she listens, nervously drumming against her hip. Finally, she ends the call and turns back to you. “Now, yeah. I mean not immediately, obviously. But soon. As soon as possible,” she clenches her eyes shut for a moment, “Sorry. Nervous. This might be the big break, apparently.”

“Oh no!” you gasp in mock horror, “You're going to steal my vital essences!”

“I mean, if it works then...” Nate begins, only to hurriedly shake her head, “No, wait, that's weird! Weird and gross!”

Laughing quietly to yourself, you lead Nate from the dorm. Someone's got to take charge around here, after all. As you're leaving, Monroe looks up and calls out to you. “Hey, Holly, I...” she begins, only to pause a moment later. You wait for her to continue, but then she just shakes her head. “Don't stay up too late,” the commander finishes lamely, “It's a school day tomorrow, you know?”

Giving her an awkward nod, you hasten out and hope that the matter can rest there. Unfortunately, Nate has other ideas. “Did Commander Monroe seem a little quiet to you?” the young girl asks as you're heading to the elevators, “She's normally so cheerful, but she seemed sorta... off. Maybe she was just enjoying her cake, I dunno, but like... you know what I mean, right?”

“Uh-” you begin, only for Nate to talk right over you.

“Oh, I get it! She must be thinking about that weird cult stuff. Yeah, that would get me worried too. Can you imagine people doing stuff like that? It's so freaky!” Nate continues, “Oh crap, I'm babbling again. I'm a little nervous about this. Can you tell? Is it really that obvious?”

“Well,” you reply, smiling faintly to yourself, “Maybe a little.”

>I think I'm going to pause things here for today, but I will continue this tomorrow at the same usual time!
>Thank you for your contributions today?

>>3389699
You're goddamn welcome for my contributions.

>>3389699
Thanks for running Moloch

>>3389699
Poor Monroe. She tried so hard to connect with the pilots, only to be shit on by some crazy bitch.

File: NatashaC.png (287 KB, 900x700)

287 KB PNG

One small delay, before you can get to the testing. You need a quick medical check, just to make sure that nothing has changed since your last medical check. It's a good thing that you've never been afraid of hospitals, with how often NERV has you examined. Nobody has ever said it, but you get the feeling that they're looking for something, anything, that could be considered a side-effect of the ADM Units. Idly, you wonder what they might do if they found something serious. Shut the whole program down?

Not likely.

“Seems to me like you're in good health,” Doctor Wilson states, nodding vaguely as he steps back, “Doctor Bergmann wanted to make sure, especially so soon after your last test. That reminds me, actually. I saw the footage from your combat simulation. Um... you did well. I think. I wouldn't really call myself an expert in military tactics. You scored good marks for reducing the collateral damage.”

“I know they were just simulated people and all, but...” you pause, shrugging slightly, but Wilson emphatically shakes his head.

“That's no attitude to take,” he scolds, “You don't want to get into bad habits, especially not with collateral damage.” Grimacing, he turns away from you. “Bad enough that we're using child soldiers,” he mumbles, “Leaving them with innocent blood on their hands is just...”

The door bangs open, and Nate sticks her head through. “Heeeeey!” she calls out, waving eagerly to you, “We're ready for you now!”

-

“Take anything electronic out of your pockets, anything at all that might be at risk of damage. We're going to be flooding the entry plugs with LCL this time,” Bergmann explains, “As for the test itself, it should be very simple. I'll be giving you instructions over the radio, and all you need to do is follow them. Report any irregularities to me, no matter how small they might seem. Aside from that, all you need to do is sit back and relax.”

Because there's nothing more relaxing than floating in a tube full of something that smells like blood. Just as you're about to get into the entry plug, Nate leaps out and runs for the exit. “Aaaah!” she cries, “I gotta use the bathroom!”

“She's nervous,” you tell Bergmann, “That's all.”

“So it would seem,” the doctor sighs, “That, I think, is her problem. She just doesn't have the mental focus for this. I'm hoping that you'll be a good influence on her, but... well, we'll see how this works out. I hope you don't mind being my test subject again, Holly.”

You start to answer this, only for Nate to loudly return. “Sorry about that, sorry sorry sorry!” she cries, “I'm good now. Are we good?”

“We're good. Now remember, don't feel bad if we don't see results immediately. This is a process, not a destination,” Doctor Monroe announces, “It's still a long road until paradise, after all.”

[1/2]

>>3391656

Just sit back and relax – that's easier said than done. Sitting back in the warm LCL, you close your eyes and allow your thoughts to drift wherever they will as you wait for Bergmann to give you further instructions. It's pitch black in the entry plug, and you're left struggling to guess how long you've been here for. Ten minutes? An hour? You try counting off the seconds, but you keep losing track. You're not usually so restless.

“Hey,” Nate whispers, her voice coming from what seems like miles away, “Bergmann wants you to say a number. Eleven.”

“Eleven, I guess,” you say aloud, your voice bubbling strangely in the LCL. A moment later, a thought occurs to you. Nate's voice had no distortion or interference, nothing that you might expect from a radio link. “There's something weird going on here,” you add, “Doc? Are you out there?”

“I'm here, Holly,” Doctor Bergmann answers, and her voice definitely has a faint underlay of radio static. “Both of you, I want you to try and focus on a memory. Hold it at the front of your mind as best you can,” she continues, “Concentrate on it. Relive it. Make it as real as you can to start with. You might find it difficult to focus after a while, but don't worry. If things start to change, let them. Just go with it.”

Stranger and stranger. Perhaps because of that strange restlessness, it's hard to focus on just one memory. Rather, a great tide of them seem to flick through your mind. Only a few seem to peel away from the mass and stand apart. There, you see that awful lunch in the school cafeteria, with your hands already tightening around the edges of the dinner tray. Here, you see a more pleasant memory – when you first arrived at the boarding school, and when you first met Claire.

Strangest of all are the memories that you don't seem to recognise at all. A shopping mall, as seen through the eyes of a young child. But... you never went to any shopping malls until you were much older. Still, the memory seems so vivid – you can practically hear the background chatter, smell the city air, you even feel your chest tightening with panic as your body reacts to something your mind does not recognise.

Something is wrong here, and your gut reaction is to pull back. Tests be damned, you just want out of this thing!

>Focus on your memory of cafeteria violence
>Focus on your memory of meeting Claire
>Focus on... the memory of the shopping mall
>Focus on none of the memories
>Other

>>3391658
>>Focus on... the memory of the shopping mall
Just go with it right? Could be Nate's memory.

>>3391658
>Focus on... the memory of the shopping mall

>>3391658
>>Focus on your memory of meeting Claire

>>3391658
>Focus on... the memory of the shopping mall

You continue to pull back, and then the thought of Nate stops you. She's the reason that you're in this mess to begin with – if you abandon the tests now, what will that do to her? Best case scenario, the whole experiment will be a failure and the girl will gain nothing from it. Worst case scenario, it might be... dangerous. The thought helps to steel your resolve, and you cautiously open yourself up to the flow of memories. This time, the strange memory of the shopping mall is the one that comes to the front of your mind.

Like stepping through a doorway, you enter into the memory and immediately reel under the intensity of feeling that it invokes in you. A churn of panic swallows you up, fear gnawing at your mind and – for the first few seconds – drowning out all other sensation. Struggling to keep yourself from freaking out, you try to focus on the peripheral details, the other elements to the scene. It's hot, crushingly so, and sweat has glued the shirt to your back. With so many bodies packed into the mall, it's little wonder that you're so warm. How can any of them stand this?

But now you can say one thing for certain. This isn't your memory. The babble of background conversation grows louder as you focus on it, and you recognise some of the accents. Californian – just like Nate.

The memory continues to play out before you, the events unfolding outside of your control. Sniffing and crying, you stumble through the busy mall and look desperately around for... what? For someone you recognise or, failing that, for anyone willing to help you. The adults around you seem so tall, tall enough that their faces are distant, while the few children you see stare with petty malice in their eyes.

“Help me!” you hear a frail voice cry, and you feel your lips moving silently along with the voice, “Mom? Dad? I need... I need...”

“Why wouldn't anyone help me that day?” another voice whispers. Nate's voice, the voice of the girl grown older, “All those people, and not one of them stopped to help me.”

“Nate?” you call out. Do you call out? You hear two voices – a liquid tone, distorted by LCL, and your own crystal clear voice.

“Holly?” Nate answers, confusion filling her voice. Around you, the scenery seems to twist and lose focus. This isn't like leaving the simulation, when the world was carefully deconstructed around you. This is chaotic, the change coming like melting candle wax. “I don't understand!” Nate continues, “How can you be... This doesn't make any-”

A hand falls on your shoulder, and your memory-body turns to look up. A younger Victor looks down at you, his face radiant with relief yet still shadowed by concern. Welling up within your heart, you feel a powerful emotion – something pure, something that goes beyond simple love. Falling forwards, you cling tightly to him and allow yourself to sob.

[1/2]

>>3391656
Here's the previous mentions of the road to paradise that you anons are probably wondering about.

>Later, as you're riding back into NERV headquarters with a thick towel wrapped around your shoulders, you catch Fletcher glancing out at the ocean. “That's another one down,” he mutters to himself, seemingly unaware that he's speaking aloud, “Still a long way to go though...”
>“Still a long road until paradise,” someone replies. It takes you a moment to realise that you were the one who spoke.

> “I still have a lot to learn,” Claudia announces, “But I hope that I can contribute something to this mission. We're all in this together, after all, and it's still a long road until paradise.”

>>3391713

“I don't even remember why I went out to the mall,” Nate says, thinks, as Vic is leading your memory-body away by the hand, “I think... maybe there was a commercial on TV? Like, for the grand re-opening or whatever. I wanted to go so bad, but mom and dad were busy working and Vic didn't want to take me. He had a new book, so he just wanted to sit inside and read. I... I told him that I hated him and ran off, only to get lost almost immediately. How lame is that?”

“Pretty lame,” you joke, trying to wrap your mind around what's going on here. Your thoughts are brushing against one another, passing seamlessly from one mind to another. It's strange, but Bergmann told you to roll with it, so...

It's hard to say exactly when things change. One minute, Vic is leading you around a corner. The next minute, you're standing in a child's bedroom – your bedroom, in fact. The door is ajar and the lights are dim, save for a distant glow outside. A different kind of fear settles over you now – not the blind panic of getting lost in an unfamiliar place, but the creeping dread of knowing that something is very wrong. With the coarse rug scratching at your bare feet – this all feels so real! - you slip out through the ajar door and totter down the landing. Down below, you hear voices from the dining room – sometimes raised, sometimes lowered, but too muffled for you to make out the words.

The stairs creak softly as you descend. This has to be your memory, it's undeniably your house, but you don't recognise what's happening. The conversation falters down to a near-silence as you walk, and that is somehow worse. Swallowing against a dry throat, you reach the bottom of the stairwell. As you're reaching out to the dining room door, a hideous voice cries out.

“That THING is not my child!” the woman screams, “That thing is a monster!”

Glass shatters, and everything goes white.

-

Lurching out of the entry plug, you vomit stale LCL onto the laboratory floor as Bergmann lurks at a safe distance. “I apologise for the abrupt exit, but we needed to pull you out,” Doctor Bergmann explains briskly, seemingly oblivious to your loud vomiting, “Your readings were showing dangerous levels of agitation. It wasn't safe you keep you under for any longer. We'll have to figure out a way to inhibit extreme reactions. Next time-”

“Next time?” you splutter, “What... You really think there's going to be a next time?”

“I hope so,” Bergmann answers calmly, “The side-effects were more extreme than I had been anticipating, but I have high hopes for this process.” She pauses here, raising an eyebrow. Nate lingers nearby, unable to bring herself to look you in the eye. “In either case,” Bergmann adds, “You want to help Natasha, don't you?”

>Not like this. I can't do that again
>Fine. But I'm not happy about this
>I want... (Write in)
>Other

>>3391786
>>Not like this. I can't do that again

>>3391786
>Fine. But I'm not happy about this
>Other
"Why was I able to see her memories?"

>>3391798
>>3391786
This

>>3391786
>Fine. But I'm not happy about this
Gotta expose that trauma to fix it eventually

>>3391786
>I want to make sure you fuckers didn't record ANY of that, or anything else in the future
>I want to HELP her, not make her into....me.

>>3391786
>>Not like this. I can't do that again

>>3391786
>Fine. But I'm not happy about this

Nate still won't look up from the floor, won't meet your eye. Did she see what you saw, and now she feels... guilty about it? Or maybe she can't see you in the same light. What that woman said...

“Fine,” you rasp, leaning over and spitting out one last mouthful of LCL, “But I'm not happy about this.”

“Next time will be easier,” Bergmann assures you, pouring you a glass of water and handing it across, carefully stepping around the vomit as she reaches over. “As I said, we're going to work on developing an inhibitor to make the whole process... smoother. It might hamper how much information we can gather, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make,” she adds, “We won't get ANY research done if we can't maintain any... assistants, will we?”

Washing your mouth out, you grimace at the coppery taste. “I've got one question,” you press, “Why was I able to see Nate's memories?”

Bergmann takes her time answering this, considering her next words with immaculate care. “We were attempting to temporarily thin the barriers between you and Natasha. The LCL acted as a medium, allowing some degree of thought transference. That's why you were able to experience some of her memories,” Bergmann explains, “If my theory is correct, then this should hopefully induce certain... changes on the genetic level. There won't be any physical signs of a change – the altered genes are purely those related to ADM Unit compatibility.”

“So... you were hoping to make Nate more compatible by... what, copying my genes?” you ask, narrowing your eyes as you try to understand.

“In essence, yes,” Bergmann nods approvingly, “We'll have to see how effective it was, however. Natasha, that means you're heading back to the infirmary for a new round of tests. Once those are out of the way, you can rest for a little.”

“Sure thing, doc...” Nate mumbles, shuffling over to Bergmann's side. “Sorry Holly,” she adds as an afterthought, risking an all too brief glance in your general direction. What she's actually sorry about, she doesn't say. Once she's out of the lab, you lean forwards and jab a stern finger at Doctor Bergmann.

“You better not have recorded ANY of that,” you hiss, “Not a single fucking thing, okay?”

Bergmann raises an eyebrow. “I don't even have access to any of what you saw,” she tells you, “Why? Did you see something-”

“Just... don't,” you warn, shaking your head, “I want to HELP Nate, not turn her into... me.”

-

You're so used to coming back to a quiet dorm that it's jarring to hear loud noises slipping out from the door. Explosions, the hard bang of gunfire, even a gruff curse or two... an action movie, you'd guess. True enough, the other pilots are watching the TV when you enter and they wordlessly move aside to clear a space for you. Sitting between Kaori and Claudia, you notice the heiress' nose twitching a little as she smells the last traces of LCL on your skin.

[1/2]

>>3391914

Good vanquishes evil, the hero doesn't look back at the explosion, and all ends as it should. When the movie is over, you slink back to your dorm and flop down on the bed. Sprawled out there, you listen to the muffled voices bickering outside. Claudia is arguing, with some fervour, that the villain was more attractive and therefore should have won. Kaori's rebuttal is simple – the heiress is just being needlessly contrarian. Rolling over, you grab your pillow and bury your head under it.

A monster, she said, a THING.

Angrily throwing the pillow away, you clench your eyes shut for a long moment before calling out for Claire. The door opens softly, and the bed shifts a little as the girl sits beside you. “Oh gross,” Claire whispers, “You stink of that LC whatever.”

“LCL,” you correct her, “Had to do some tests. They didn't go so well.”

Sighing, Claire lies down beside you and waits in silence. Thinking, perhaps, for something to say. “It's a cruel world, isn't it?” she murmurs eventually, “And it's people like us, kids like us, who have to shoulder the burden. Fighting against those awful things, suffering through experiments, all while the adults keep secrets from us. We're just tools for them to use, aren't we?”

Opening your eyes, you turn to see her gazing softly at you. “You're being awfully serious,” you tease, “I wanted you to cheer me up, not depress me even more.”

Claire pauses, then an evil leer spreads across her face. “Cheer you up? Foolish child!” she cackles, “Entropy is the true state of this world! I shall return it all to nothing, and mankind will finally have peace!” Sitting bolt upright, she throws back her head and lets out a dramatic laugh. “Not even the feeble power of your so-called “friendship” is enough to stop me now!” she continues, striking a flamboyant pose, “Now have at you!”

“Where did you even learn to talk like that?” you ask between bouts of stifled laughter, “And don't say you learned it from me, because I never talk THAT much shit.”

“I dunno. Late night cartoons, I guess,” Claire shrugs, “Now c'mon, now that I've lured you over to the dark side, let's find some innocent victims to corrupt!”

“In plain English please?” you plead.

“Let's go hang out with someone!” she stresses, rolling her eyes, “Do something fun, y'know? We can't spend all our time cooped up in here plotting to take over the world, can we?”

Maybe that's a good idea. Something, anything, to take your mind off things. Claudia still hasn't done her basic firearms training, as you recall, so perhaps you can drag her down to the range. Or perhaps Kaori is up for some late night sparring – you never got a chance to properly fight her last time. Then again, it's already well into evening by now and you've got school tomorrow, so...

>Get an early night
>Drag Claudia down to the firing range
>See if Kaori is up for some sparring
>Other

>>3392011
>See if Kaori is up for some sparring

>>3392011
>>Get an early night

>>3392011
>>See if Kaori is up for some sparring
>inb4 we get styled on by actual technique.

>>3392011
>See if Kaori is up for some sparring

>>3392011
>Hit Kaori once for every civilian she murdered.

“I'm in the mood to get punched in the face,” you decide with a sigh, “I wonder if Kaori has gone to bed already...”

“Oh damn. Miss me with that rough shit,” Claire replies with a laugh, “I'm a good girl, you're not dragging me down to your level. Plus, that sounds way too much like hard work for me.”

“You're missing out,” you tell her with a wink, leaving her to sprawl out on your bed as you return to the common room. Far from being asleep, Kaori is idly flipping through the TV channels in search of something to do. Pausing, you watch hypnotised by the rapidly changing images – a boxing match, two giant robots beating the crap out of each other, a circle of eleven chairs, the stylish set of some late night talk show, an advert for a construction company...

“Hey,” you hear yourself say, “You busy?”

Kaori jolts around, your approach apparently having taken her by surprise. “Clearly not,” she replies, a sour note in her voice, “I knew watching that movie was a mistake. Now I'm not in the mood to sleep. What about you?”

“Not tired. Looking for something to do,” you agree, “Do you feel like doing some training? We never got a chance to spar last time, did we?”

Considering this, Kaori cracks a rare smile.

-

You're doing this properly, it seems, the only way that Kaori likes to do anything. After checking over one pair of padded gloves with meticulous care, she passes them to you and starts strapping on a set of her own. “It's easy to hurt yourself with a badly thrown punch,” she tells you, “You could skin your knuckles, or even break a finger. So don't spar without-”

“C'mon, I've thrown a few punches in my time and I never hurt myself,” you interrupt, waving away her concern, “I bet you're just worried about that pretty face of yours, so you-”

Kaori throws a quick jab, her padded glove striking you right in the month and silencing you in an instant. The blow stuns you, and you just barely manage to bring your forearms up to block a second strike. A third blow clips your temple, and then Kaori hops back. Her breathing is only a little bit strained, and she has a hint of a smile dancing around one corner of her lips. “Okay, point taken,” you admit, running your tongue across the inside of your mouth but not tasting blood, “I won't get cocky.”

“I don't believe that for an instant,” Kaori jokes, stepping in and throwing a low punch. Twisting your body and taking it on the hip, you follow up with a rising punch that catches the older girl under the chin. Stumbling backwards, she touches a hand to her mouth in shock. “Think I bit my tongue,” she splutters, “Yuck.”

“Aw, poor little you,” you tease, pointing at the benches over at the side of the room, “Want to take a break?”

Her brow furrowing in a frown, Kaori squares her shoulders and presses the attack.

[1/2]

>>3392135
>a circle of eleven chairs
Trippy

I assume the doc is the one doing secret agent shit. he's the only one with misgivings about kids being troops.

>>3392153
The only character we know of with that stance. There is a shitload of NERV personnel out there.

>>3392156
True, but Moloch usually follows the narrative of conservation of characters.

>>3392166
Seriously? The cast for into the skies was massive.

>>3392135

Stepping back and forth, circling each other as you throw punches back and forth, you and Kaori trade blows until you're both panting and slick with sweat. Showing no sign of faltering, Kaori darts in for a close punch, only to hook her leg behind yours and yank, sweeping you off of your feet in an instant. You hit the mat hard, and she drops down onto you before you can rise. She's shorter than you, despite her age, and you're pretty sure that you could throw her off, but...

Maybe you'll just lie here and get your breath back. Just for a little bit.

“You cheated!” you pant, “You never said we were using our feet too!”

“I never said we weren't using our feet,” Kaori argues, sitting back for a moment before rolling off of you. Part of you feels like you should be angry, but... you're too tired for that. Besides, this was never about a serious fight. This was just something to take your mind off of things. Stripping off her gloves, Kaori drops a few coins into one of the vending machines and buys a pair of drinks. As you stumble to your feet and take the can she offers, a question finds its way to the front of your mind.

“Earlier, you said that you didn't care about who was really in charge here,” you recall, “Did you really mean that, or were you just...”

“Avoiding a conversation with Claudia?” she finishes for you, “A little of both, honestly. I just don't see any good coming out of that sort of talk. Say NERV does have some terrible secret, and you risk everything to uncover it. What then? What are you going to do next?” Kaori pauses, popping open her drink and taking a deep sip. “Caffeine. Now I'm going to be up all night,” she mutters to herself, “Great...”

Her question remains suspended in the air. “How terrible of a secret are we talking about here?” you ask, “I mean like, “using the ADM Units will give us all cancer” terrible, or what?”

Kaori frowns, as if this thought hadn't occurred to her. “I don't know. I'm not good at imagining terrible things,” she sighs, “I'm just saying, I don't see the point in prying. We're protecting people here – hell, we're protecting all of mankind! That's all that I need to know. That's all I WANT to know.”

With an almost defiant shrug, Kaori turns away from you. This conversation, her expression seems to say, is over.

>Fine. Have it your way
>I think you're a coward. You need to face reality
>I don't trust NERV. What if we're NOT protecting people?
>I don't understand you, Kaori
>Other

>>3392249
>If that's all we're doing? That's great.
>But once we've killed the Lilim then what? People once Loved hitler because he helped drag GErmany out of it's ww1 slump, but they buried their heads and cause of it ww2 happened. Everyone believed in Communism, but did not think about what happened next. Suddenly we got Stalin. Evil prevails when the good, or if not good, mediocre, do nothing.

>>3392249
>"You're right. If humanity is at stake here I can't imagine any secret dark enough to make this a mistake. "

>>3392249
>Well I want to make sure that's all we and NERV are doing here. I'm not going to keep blinders on if there is a chance they might have another objective, a more selfish, sinister objective and I don't think you should either.

>>3392249
>I don't trust NERV. What if we're NOT protecting people?

>>3392268
I feel like a 15 year old girl that has trouble in school wouldn't be the much of a history buff tbqh

>>3392249
>I don't trust NERV, but we are protecting people
Right now, at least.

“If protecting people is all we're doing? Then fine. Great. Everyone's happy,” you counter, “The problem is, I don't know if I trust NERV enough to assume that. Like, they've got all this technology here. Look at the ADM Units – as far as conventional weapons go, those things are fucking invincible! Without a way to break through their AT Field, normal weapons are useless. You didn't fall asleep in history class, did you?”

“I...” Kaori looks sharply around, her cheeks darkening, “What's THAT supposed to mean?”

“C'mon, history! People always think that things are going great, and then they stop going so great! Tyrants get brought down by a revolution, only for a new despot to take over in the aftermath. Some great new leader is swept to power, and then oh shit! It's Hitler,” you snap, jabbing a finger into her chest, “Point is, we won't do much good if we stand by and do nothing while NERV does some super shady shit.”

The older pilot says nothing to this. Down by her hips, her hands are clenched into tight, trembling fists.

“I'm not going to let them put blinders on me,” you stress, “If NERV has some other goal, I want to figure out what that is – because I want to protect mankind just as much as you do. Maybe more, if you're willing to stand by and do nothing.”

“So what?” she spits, “You're saying that you'd walk away from this?”

She's just not listening. “Saving the world is more important than me, you, or NERV!” you tell her firmly, looking her dead in the eye, “I won't let some dirty secret turn me away from that. Nothing NERV is keeping secret could be THAT bad.”

Wordlessly, Kaori sits back down on the bench. “I hope you're right about that,” she mutters, “I can't abandon NERV now. If I did that, then all this – everything that I've done – would have been for nothing. I refuse to accept that.” Touching a hand to her brow, she slumps forwards and hangs her head low. “You should head back to the dorm,” she adds, still staring at the floor, “I'm going to tidy up here. There's not much to do. I won't need any help.”

Which is one of the more polite ways to say “go away”. Nodding stiffly, you turn away and leave her to her tidying – and to think on your words.

-

It's late when you return to the dorm, and you head straight to bed. As you're lying down, you hear hushed movement outside. It sounds like there's someone right outside your door, either lurking or lying in wait. When your patience runs out, you march across and haul the door open. Nate jolts back with a squeal of fright, clapping both hands over her mouth to silence herself. Once she's calmed down, her eyes flick imploringly into your dorm. Sighing and holding the door a little wider for her, you allow her in.

[1/2]

>>3392379
Oh no
She wants to talk about it.
We need to kill her to keep our secrets.

>>3392379

“Wow, this is pretty... empty,” Nate whispers, looking about your dorm, “You don't have much stuff, do you?”

“Get rid of anything that doesn't inspire joy,” you reply in a hollow voice, “Are you okay, Nate? How did your tests go?”

“Um...” the younger girl begins weakly. Bad news, then. Noticing your grim expression, she hurriedly shakes her head. “No, um, it's not... Doctor Bergmann is pretty happy about this. She says that like, my scores are showing signs of improving. I gained... half a point,” she tries to smile, but it's a weak effort, “A whole half point. Big news, huh? At this rate, I might make the grade just in time to be too old to be a pilot. Wowee...”

Half a point. “I mean, that's a quarter of the way there!” you offer, trying to be optimistic for once, “And it's proof that Bergmann's experiment works. We can work with this, right?”

Nate thinks on this for a moment, then she starts backing off towards the door. “I just... I just thought you should know,” she mumbles, fumbling for the door, “It's late. Gotta sleep. They needed to draw some blood earlier so my head feels all weird. Uh...” Finally finding the door handle, Nate practically throws the door open and flees from the room. The sound of her own door slamming shut is almost loud enough to rouse the entire dorm. Certainly, it's loud enough to wake Claudia – her door opens, and a pale face appears to glare out at you.

“Go to bed,” you hiss, flapping a hand at her, and Claudia vanishes back into her room. At least you won't have to deal with her right now. Although... what should you do? Nate is clearly holding something back, but she also clearly doesn't want to talk now. There's always Bergmann – she seems like the type to be awake all hours – but what about Monroe? She might be willing to talk, although... a certain degree of give and take might be involved.

>Just leave it for now. You need some sleep
>Chase after Nate and get the answers from her
>Head down to the lab and speak with Bergmann about Nate
>See what Commander Monroe is able to tell you
>Other

>>3392539
>Chase after Nate
Rawr

>>3392539
>Just leave it for now. You need some sleep

>>3392539
>Head down to the lab and speak with Bergmann about Nate

>>3392539
>>Chase after Nate and get the answers from her

>>3392539
>Chase after Nate and get the answers from her

This is no time to mess about with sneaking about behind the scenes, asking coy little questions. If you want to get the answers, you're going to fucking get them. Marching out from your door room, you stomp across to Nate's door and barge inside. If she really wanted to keep you out, you rationalise to yourself, she would have locked her door. The room is dark inside, and it takes your eyes a moment to adjust. Nate lies curled up on her bed, clutching onto her pillow.

“Hey,” you whisper, slowly closing the door behind you, “Hey, Nate?” The girl mumbles something, but her words are muffled by the pillow. Creeping closer, you reach down and touch her shoulder. Jolting around in shock, the young girl stares right though you for a moment.

“I'm not a monster!” she hisses, “I'm not!” Despite yourself, you recoil. Rallying quickly, you shake the girl lightly until her eyes clear. “I'm... Holly?” Nate blinks a few times, “What are you doing in here? Did I... I meant to tell you. About the tests. Did I forget to say, or...” Slowly rising out of bed, she listlessly paces the length of her room before sitting down at her desk. Maybe you're overthinking this, but it seems harder for her to look directly at you when she's sitting there.

“You started telling me about the tests, but we were interrupted,” you tell her gently, inwardly cringing at the deception, “You were talking about... were you having side-effects? Is that it?”

“I just feel so strange,” Nate answers, her voice distant, “And... I can't stop thinking about you, Holly.”

“Ah, all the girls tell me that,” you joke, but Nate doesn't laugh. With her back to you, there's no way to even know if she's smiling. “What do you mean?” you press, continuing when Nate remains silent, “I guess it could be a side-effect from that memory crap. I wish Bergmann had warned us about what she was trying to do. If we'd known what kind of shit we were getting ourselves into, then maybe...”

“I don't want to talk about it,” the young girl mumbles, so quiet that you can barely hear her. Almost by instinct, you softly call out her name and that, apparently, is the last straw. “I said that I don't want to talk about it!” she yells, slamming her hand down onto the desk. Your own words to Monroe, thrown back in your face like this... before you even know what you're doing, you lunge forwards and rip Nate up out of her chair. Cocking back your hand to slap the girl, you-

You stop yourself. Somehow, you manage to gain some measure of control over yourself. As you slowly lower your hand, the blood seems to drain out of Nate's face.

“I don't...” she whispers, tearing her gaze away from your face, “I don't know what I'm saying any more.”

[1/2]

>>3392697
Alright we shouldn't do this anymore. They are literally imprinting 'Holly' onto Nate to the point she's losing her sense of self. If it's *this* fucking bad and only a half a point raised Nate isn't going to be Nate anymore by the time she can barely pilot the damn thing.

>>3392743
More likely it's a mind-meld thing. I wouldn't be surprised if we start picking up some Nate mannerisms

>>3392754
The issue is that I think Holly’s sense of self, her “ego” is much stronger tha Nate’s. Therefore it’s only natural she will imprint much more on Nate than vice versa.

>>3392697
Yuck, Holly needs to control herself better.

>>3392697

“Doctor Monroe said that this... won't last. Next time, it won't be so bad. Because of the... of the inhibitor. I'm just a little confused at the moment,” Nate tries to explain, distracting herself by taking a bag of candy out from her desk. Before she can say anything more on the subject, Vic knocks on the adjoining door and opens it a crack. His face, peering through the gap, is fraught with unease.

Meeting his gaze for a moment, you feel your cheeks heating up. You still remember that rush of sentiment you felt in Nate's memory. An overwhelming wave of familial love... but now, it leaves rather a different impression on you. This, you tell yourself, must be what Nate herself is feeling – a dissonance, a jarring contrast between her memories and yours. Still, it's so awkward that you have to avert your eyes.

“I heard yelling,” Vic asks eventually, “Is everything... fine?”

“Um, Vic, we were talking about...” Nate swallows heavily, “About secret girl stuff. You can't pry. It's like, the law.”

Frowning, Vic turns to give you a questioning look. You don't feel great about keeping this from him, but this is not the time to get into a difficult conversation. “Yeah,” you mutter, “Secret girl stuff. Top secret, actually.” It's not even THAT much of a lie... from a certain perspective. Vic still looks dubious, but he reluctantly retreats back into his room. Once you're sure that he's gone, you look back around to Nate and consider her explanation – her excuses.

“Next time it won't be so bad?” you murmur to her, “Nate, I'm not sure if there should BE a next time.”

“But...” Nate replies, her words trailing off before she can say any more than that.

>Okay, I think I'm going to pause things a little early today. Second Daughter will resume tomorrow
>Thank you for your contributions today!

>>3392800
Oh Moloch, your writing is as impeccable and striking as always.

>>3392800
>Doctor Monroe
Commander got her PhD huh? ;^)

Thanks for running.

This mind melding thing seems like a shortcut with some bad side effects. I feel like they should focus on how Holly's points were raised after the first fight.

>>3392850
In fairness to NERV, shortcuts are really their only option right now. The Lilim are already here. It's definitely not the safest approach but time is not a luxury we have.

>>3392895
The issue is that this shortcut is going to result in two (more) mentally unstable pilots that probably won't be reliable. I am making assumptions there, but it's based on what we've seen.

Better to keep one good one (Holly) and keep the other in wings training even if it takes longer imo.

>>3392800
Thanks for running!

As the author, would you say Nate or Holly are monsters?

>>3392850
>Commander got her PhD huh? ;^)
Ah, that's probably proof that my brain was about to shut down for the night. Doctor Bergmann, that should have been. I'm not sure if I'd trust Monroe's input on any of this fancy thinking stuff!

>>3392938
I'd say they have the potential to be monsters, although that raises the question of "literally or metaphorically?"

File: ClaireS.png (301 KB, 900x700)

301 KB PNG

“I'm tired of being a burden on everyone.”

“I hate being useless like this.”

“Everyone else is doing their best, but I can't do anything.”

Bitter words continue to swirl around you, even for a few moments after you've woken up from a fitful sleep. You were dreaming about something, but you can't recall exactly what. You're glad about that, actually. Even as your alarm beeps mercilessly away in the background, all you can do is lie in bed and stare up at the ceiling for a while longer. You'll have to hurry later, but you don't care. You don't care about any of that.

Well, you DO care about having to rush through Hester's excellent cooking.

-

The first half of the school day crawls past, but eventually you hit lunchtime. Grabbing a snack, you hurry up to the roof to see who else has gathered there. Despite the fine weather, sunny and still, Claire is the only one of your friends to make it up. The others might come later, but... they might not make it, as well. Something in your gut points to the latter. Fine. So be it. You can have a nice quiet lunch. No skin off your back.

“I saw this shop on the way here, selling those little Japanese lunch sets,” Claire mentions as you sit, stripping the plastic away from a limp sandwich, “But shit, they were expensive. The price they were asking for, I'd expect a three course meal not just some rice and... rice accessories. Whatever they were. I don't care if you draw a cat face on it, I'm not paying for... hey, what's that?”

“New message from Phantom,” you announce, tilting your tablet so it's shielded from the glare of the sun. It feels strange to say the name aloud. Looking down at the waiting message, you heave a heavy sigh. “I don't know. Maybe we should report him to Fletcher,” you tell Claire, “I mean, Fletcher... he's trusted us way more than I thought he would, and I feel kinda bad about keeping this from him. He's trusting us, but we're letting him down.”

“Or he's trying to win our trust,” Claire points out, “It's like... ah, you probably don't want to hear this.”

“I do!” you stress, “If you know something, then I-”

Holding up her hands to calm you, Claire slowly shakes her head. “It's not that I know something, I'm just getting negative vibes from all of this, from everyone. It's like, there are two levels here. On one level, we're all trying to save the world. That's great, I can get behind that – I actually sorta like this world. On the other level...” she shrugs, “I feel like everyone has their own “thing” going on, their own goals, and they'll do whatever they can to achieve them. Meanwhile, we're stuck right in the middle. If it was up to me, I wouldn't trust none of those assholes.”

Double negative aside, you can see her point.

[1/2]

>>3394945

Phantom: There's a lot of uneasy talk going around HQ at the moment. A lot of uncertainty.
Phantom: Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?
HLLY06: So now I'm gathering your information?
Phantom: Excuse me?
HLLY06: I'm starting to question this partnership. Fletcher talked – he told us everything.
HLLY06: You were wrong about him.
Phantom: I'm surprised.
HLLY06: You're also a security leak. How do I know that you're not working for Wormwood, trying to stop me from piloting the ADM?
Phantom: This is ridiculous.
HLLY06: Who ARE you?

No answer, not for a long time. Leaning over your shoulder, Claire reads the words hanging frozen on the screen. “You believe any of that?” she asks softly, “About him being Wormwood, I mean.”

“I don't know. Maybe,” you tell her, “I was sorta hoping it might shake some answers out of him, but I guess I came on too strong.”

“Girl, you need to learn some self restraint Get that temper of yours under control,” she scolds, poking you on the arm, “Because I get it, it's fun to tear into these people, but sooner or later you're going to pick a fight with someone who won't mess about. You might be a hotshot pilot and all, but outside of that ADM thing, you're as fragile as me or anyone else.”

“God, thanks for the cheerful reminder. “Have a nice lunch, and prepare to die”. Thanks,” you mutter, rolling your eyes before looking back down to the tablet. Just as you're about to give up, a new message appears.

Phantom: You know I can't tell you that.
HLLY06: Why not?
HLLY06: Why can't you tell me that? Are you afraid of what I might do with that information?
Phantom: It's for my own protection. I can't afford to be careless.

“At least Fletcher is willing to tell me his surname,” you complain, “I wonder what his first name is...”

“I bet it's something super embarrassing,” Claire giggles, “I knew this boy called Phil, but his real name was Phyllis. I'm like, isn't that a girl's name and he just punches me on the arm. What a jerk!” Laughing at the memory, Claire thinks to herself for a moment. “Why not tell the others about Phantom?” she adds suddenly, “Or like, some of them. Maybe not everyone.”

“Kaori would probably tell Fletcher,” you agree, “She ain't really the type to put up with security leaks. As for Claudia... I don't know. I don't have a good read on her yet. She'd probably do whatever amused her the most.”

“Yikes,” Claire breathes.

That aside, you really need to make a decision on this...

>Let Phantom remain undercover for now
>Visit Fletcher after school and report Phantom's leaks
>Get together with some of the others and tell them about Phantom... (Who?)
>Other

>>3394947
>Visit Fletcher after school and report Phantom's leaks

Hopefully not a massive mistake.

>>3394947
>Other
I say press Phantom for his motivation more before we make a decision. He says he's doing this cause he doesn't like child soldiers, but what does giving us information on the side help with that goal? If he knows as much as he seems to then he should know that this age demographic are the only ones that can pilot ADMs and fight Lilims. So in spite of his morals he should know that this is the only way currently. So why is he undermining NERV by playing spy?

>>3394947
>>3394959
This. If you value your anonymity so much, don’t leak to an adolescent, damn fool.

>>3394947
I'm..Divided on this. I do not trust Phantom. I dont completely trust Fletcher either but he's also just a Merc. I doubt he's privy to the really secret stuff. I feel like it might be a good idea to get the whole team together before we rush to judgement. Assuming Kaori and Claudia are on board we should try and nail the bastard.

>>3394965
We are going to need to unbug our room first before we conspire against Phantom. As it stands only Fletcher's office is clean.

Still like my vote suggested I think we should press him one more time. If we don't like his answer we'll gather the troops so to speak.

>>3394975
Well look at it another way too. If we expose an infiltrator, we'll show we can be trusted. Maybe if we actually show that kind of loyalty we could get some answers naturally

You're in an impossible position here, left to plot a course through these uncertain waters without so much as a compass, and the unfairness of it all rankles at you. Why, you think bitterly to yourself, why can't the world just be an honest place? Swallowing back your complaints, along with a mouthful of sugary soda, you pick the NiPad back up and start to type out an answer to Phantom. You delete and rewrite your opening remark time and time again, your fingers pecking at the screen, but finally you have something acceptable. Not great, but good enough.

HLLY06: If you were really that careful, you wouldn't have leaked info to a teenage girl.
HLLY06: So don't give me that crap. If you want me to trust you, you need to give me a reason.
HLLY06: Why did you contact me in the first place? Because you don't like child soldiers?
HLLY06: Well, we're the only ones who can fight the Lilim. Are you trying to undermine NERV?

“And don't give me that fucking silent treatment...” you mutter, waiting to see if Phantom is going to answer this.

Phantom: I can't just tell you everything. There are things that I don't know.
Phantom: But NERV isn't the only option. There are other plans to combat the Lilim. NERV is just one branch of a larger plan.
Phantom: But elements within NERV are pursuing their own goals. They want to use the ADM Units for their own ends. I'm trying to uncover those hidden goals – so you can make your own decisions. The ADM Units may not be the only way to fight back against the Lilim.
HLLY06: What else is there?
Phantom: I don't know. Not yet.

“Useless!” you snap, just barely stopping yourself from hurling the tablet away in disgust. Anger is one thing, but expensive electronics are a whole other matter. When no further messages follow this, you weigh up his words. Other plans, other weapons against the Lilim... but if the ADM Units were made redundant, where would that leave you? Sent back to civilian life with a pat on the back and a gag order for the rest of your life?

Looking down, you see new messages waiting for you.

Phantom: I know that this isn't fair. I wanted to try and help you, but I've only made things worse.
Phantom: I hate the way NERV keeps secrets, how they make us all keep secrets, but I'm part of it now. I'm guilty of the same sins that started all of this.
Phantom: But there are certain things that I cannot tell you. That I cannot trust you with.
Phantom: Even if you think you can keep a secret, NERV may be able to make you talk.

“We have ways of making you talk...” Claire murmurs, her tone aiming for levity but falling short of the mark.

[1/2]

>>3395012
>there are better options other than NERV
Than tell us you shady fuck

>>3395012
He's already given us enough that snitching on him would be a serious blow, what with losing all his cameras in the base and heightened security, plus them actively tracking him down. Would his name really be so much worse?

>>3395043
Considering what NERV can do from the mind and pull memories, yeah giving his name would probably be bad for him.

>>3395047
If they could do that why haven't they already gotten his cameras from our head?

>>3395050
Well what I mean is if they suspect Holly they could 'Find ways to make her talk'. They don't have any reason to right now.

Just saying that even if they found out about Phantom there is a chance he could go to ground, but if he gave his name and Holly gave it up then he'd be super screwed.

>>3395012

Lunch break ends soon after this, forcing you to hurry off to your next class. As the teacher drones on and on about some old poet, you consider what Phantom might have mean. Ways to make you talk? Does that mean... torture? When he was interrogating the saboteur, Fletcher did mention being able to make the man talk. On the other hand, NERV needs you to pilot the ADM Units. They can't just drag you into a torture chamber and force the answers out of you!

Well... they probably can, legally speaking. It would just be a bad fucking idea.

As soon as your class ends, you pull out your NiPad and dive back into Labyrinth. Phantom is still online, so hopefully the conversation isn't over quite yet.

HLLY06: You're making a lot of vague threats, but nothing MEANS anything. What can NERV do to me? Torture?
HLLY06: And what are these “other plans”?
HLLY06: Because from where I'm sitting, it seems like you're just feeding me a line of bullshit and hoping that I'll come begging for more scraps.
Phantom: First of all, not torture. Post-hypnotic suggestions that can induce a compliant state. I don't know if you've been compromised. The triggers would have needed to be implanted at an early age. Childhood. I don't know of any way to detect them, short of using the trigger words and observing a reaction.
Phantom: Second of all, I CANNOT tell you about the alternative plans. I've already said too much.
HLLY06: Because of the hypno bullshit.
Phantom: Because of the hypno bullshit, yes.

Now he's talking about triggers and hypnotic suggestion... this is getting further and further away from anything you recognise as reality. Life was so much more simple when you just had to think about giant fighting robots and an alien invasion.

-

Last class of the day. Mathematics. Boring, even when you're not distracted by other things. No new messages from Phantom, and the man himself has vanished offline. When the class is finally over, you hurry out into the corridor and spot Claire waiting for you. “Hey,” she whispers, “Any word from you know who?”

“A whole bunch of them, but nothing that makes any sense,” you reply, “I've given him a chance, I've given him too many damn chances, but he just won't... I don't know what to do!”

“I've got it!” Claire decides, snapping her fingers before plunging her hand into her pocket. Taking out a shiny coin, she shows it to you. “Heads, you tell Fletch about this. Tails, you don't tell him anything,” she whispers, tossing the coin before you can protest. Snatching it out of the air, Claire slaps it down onto the palm of her hand and hides it from sight after taking a quick glance. “So?” she teases, “What do you want it to be?”

“What? No!” you gasp, “We can't decide it like...”

“What do you want it to be?” she repeats firmly, looking you dead in the eye.

>Heads. Tell Fletcher
>Tails. Don't tell Fletcher
>Refuse. This isn't right!
>Other

>>3395055
>Tails. Don't tell Fletcher

>>3395055
>Heads. Tell Fletcher
Fletcher has been straight with us. He told us about Wormwood. We should be straight with him back. NERV are the only ones presenting a valid option to fight the Lilim. Phantom offers empty suggestions. We should show that we can be trusted. If we expose a rat NERV should have no doubts about our loyalty. We need to put humanity first.

>>3395055
>Heads. Tell Fletcher
If you can’t say anything about anything, you’re not worth anything. Sorry pally.

>>3395062
Phantom is severely compromising the only operation we know of that is acting against the Lilim. His high handed stupidity shouldn't blind us to what's important.

>>3395055
>Heads. Tell Fletcher
Fletcher's been straight with us.

>>3395065
At the same time, it's kind of hypocritical after we said we also want to uncover NERV's dirty secrets if they have any to Kaori.

You could also argue that singularly focusing on the fight is being blind in it's own right.

Phantom's handling of this has been bad, but I don't know if Holly and Claudia can do any better.

>>3395074
The best way to learn what NERV is hiding imo is to show that we can be assured with the Information. Purging a security leak is a great way to do that.
Also I know it sounds kind of edgy, but the fight is the most important thing. Don't get me wrong, NERV is shady, but would we rather have a world destroyed by the giant monsters? I don't think so.

>>3395055
>Tails. Don't tell Fletcher

>>3395076
I know. I'm just playing Devil's Avocado. I don't think either choice here is wrong.

I personally just don't want to go too deep into focusing on the fight that we get blindsided by NERV's shady shit or hell just a faction of NERV doing their own thing endangering the objective, other pilots, and civilians for personal gain.

>>3395083
If that's the case then we should try and be in a position to act against them. If there is some kind of conspiracy going on then simple blackmail isnt gonna be enough. We are gonna need to be trusted by the organization. Phantom strikes me as either a blind idealist or a honeypot.

Clenching your eyes shut for a moment, you hear yourself answer. “Heads,” you breathe, “I want it to be heads.”

Slowly, you hear Claire whistle. Opening your eyes, you see the coin glinting on the back of her hand – it reads heads. “You always were good at guessing,” Claire murmurs, “But hey, I guess we've got our decision. Doesn't that feel better?”

“Not really,” you admit, shaking your head, “I'll feel better then all this is over and done with.”

-

When you return to HQ, you head to Fletcher's office before you have a chance to lose your nerve. He's on the phone when you arrive, but he gestures for you sit down and wait. Then, returning his full attention to the phone, he brings the conversation to a close. “We're used to better conditions over here, but a little hardship won't kill me. You'll have enough spare room for everyone? No, she won't mind sharing,” he remarks, glancing aside at you, “Good. Send the papers over, and I'll take care of the arrangements.” Putting the phone down, he turns properly to you. “Reynolds,” he begins crisply, “How do you feel about a holiday?”

This conversation isn't going how you imagined it might. “A holiday?” you repeat, feeling foolish.

“More of a business trip, really. Visiting one of our other installations,” Fletcher explains, “Don't look so worried, Reynolds, it's not that serious. I want to see how they're doing things over there, and they wanted a chance to meet one of our pilots. In this line of work, making connections and contacts is important. How does that sound to you?”

“It sounds... okay? I guess?” you manage to reply, too distracted to give it much thought, “Listen, that's not why I came here. I wanted-”

“Great. Actually, I already cleared it with Commander Monroe,” the mercenary interrupts, “Considering that this an official matter, I could technically just order you to do it, but I prefer doing things this way. We won't be leaving for a while, though – the security arrangements alone will take some time to conclude. I'll let you know closer to time, so you can pack some warm-”

Just spit it out already! “Security arrangements!” you blurt out, “We have... I mean... we might have a problem with that. A leak.” Saying this silences Fletcher, at least, and he leans back to regard you with curious eyes. “He's been contacting me on my tablet. Telling me stuff, giving me audio recordings. He's got the whole place bugged,” you continue, the words spilling from your lips, “And I figured that if he's leaking stuff to me, then he could leak stuff to over people, and then...”

Your words trail off here as you notice something strange. Fletcher seems curious, true, but he doesn't seem at all surprised by your confession.

[1/2]

>>3395097
Fletcher is phantom lol
Was this whole thing a loyalty test?

>>3395100
Hopefully we passed. Though does this mean he sent us that video of him about to torture that dude?

>>3395103
Well tbf
1. Said "dude" is a member of a genocidal terrorist group that wants to wipe out all human life on earth and worship the Lilim
Between you and me I hope he felt everything
Assuming the video wasn't staged

>>3395097

“I've had my own doubts about our internal security for some time now,” Fletcher replies eventually, his answer slow and cautious, “There was nothing I could ever prove, but I had reason to believe that enemy agents may have infiltrated NERV.”

“What enemy, though?” you demand, “The Lilim? They can't...”

Sighing heavily, Fletcher presses his fingers against his temples. “The same enemy, I believe, that is funding and supporting groups like Wormwood,” he offers, speaking with that same caution, “I'd like you to keep this quiet for now, since I'm just theorising, but I believe that a rival organisation is working to oppose NERV. I've been doing my own investigation behind the scenes, but it's difficult to find solid leads. From what I've been able to discover, this group may have been formed by a number of individuals who broke away from NERV shortly after our organisation was founded. They could very well have sympathetic allies remaining embedded within our ranks.”

“So...” you pause, “What does this group want?”

“I don't know,” the mercenary admits, spreading his hands wide in a helpless gesture, “I can only assume that their plan involves the Lilim in some way. Harnessing their power, perhaps, although that only raises further questions. Either way, NERV stands between this group and their goals.” Leaning back in his chair, Fletcher raises an eyebrow. “I'm glad you brought this to me,” he tells you simply, “This might be the break I was looking for. If I can get my hands on an enemy agent...”

“You'll make him talk?” you finish for him. There's a hardness to Fletcher's face that you don't really like.

“This is war, Reynolds. A cold war, but a war nonetheless. Just as you do what you do to protect mankind from the Lilim, I do what I do to protect mankind from itself,” he answers, accepting the unspoken accusation with a shrug, “Frankly, I'd prefer to turn the man. A double agent would be very useful for digging deeper into this enemy organisation.”

Numbly, you nod. The conversation seems to be happening in a dream, or somewhere very far away.

“Well. It seems like I have some work to do,” Fletcher sighs, “While you're here – I think Doctor Bergmann was looking for you. Research matters. You'd best not keep her waiting, but... if you have anything else to tell me about this enemy agent, please let me know. Do you have any idea of who it might be?”

You consider this for a moment. A name, a lead on who Phantom might actually be...

>You've got nothing
>You've got something... (Write in)
>Other

>>3395136
>Other
"I don't have anything right now. But I'll keep my eye out. You've been up front with us Fletcher. I appreciate that."

>>3395136
>You've got nothing
>“I’ve been pressing him hard for anything regarding himself, but he’s been dodging the questions”

>>3395136
>Nothing, but not for lack of trying.

>>3395136
We should offer to pretend like we are sympathetic to phantom. Get him to trust us and then NERV can come down on him. Hopefully we can pick up a few more leads along the way. The more traitors we catch in our net before it closes the better. Double Agent Holly go!

>>3395152
Basically play the long game.
If we are lucky enough we might even be able to figure out who his accomplices are

>>3395136
>You've got nothing
"Just that it's someone that can tap into your cameras. That includes the interrogation room where you brought the Wormwood agent."

I mean there is the fact that the Doctor Wilson also said he doesn't like child soldiers, but like that's not a uncommon opinion to have and he did a solid for us with Nate that one time.

>>3395152
Not sure if Holly can handle that. You kind of have to be cold, pragmatic, and have decent mental fortitude to go double agent. Our Holly doesn't really have most of those traits.

>>3395162
Fair. Altho we are definitely gonna be the choice to Purge with Fire when we finally corner Wormwood

Breathing out, you shake your head. “I got nothing, but not for a lack of trying. I've been pressing Phantom to give me something solid, but he's been coy about showing his hand. All I know is that Phantom can hack into the cameras around here,” you tell the mercenary, “Here, and wherever you brought that Wormwood guy. He showed me some footage as proof of what he can do.”

“Ah,” Fletcher winces a little, “I'm sorry you had to see that.”

“No, he cut out the nasty bits. He's nice enough to do that, but he won't even give me his name,” you sigh, “Said that you might be able to coax it out of me with... fucking hypnosis or something.” Fletcher raises an eyebrow at this, but says nothing. You can't blame him for being dubious – it looked like bullshit when Phantom told you, and it doesn't sound any less absurd said aloud.

“I'll keep trying, though,” you add, “I don't know if I'd make a very good spy, but I can see if they let anything slip. You've been upfront about this, Fletcher, and... I appreciate that.”

“Call it professional courtesy,” Fletcher concludes with a wan smile, “One soldier to another.”

-

Doctor Bergmann is waiting for you when you arrive down in her lab. Her single eye has a glint in it, and you're reminded of a predator scenting blood. “If this is about Nate,” you begin, speaking up before she has a chance to even say hello, “I think we should slow things down. Like way down, maybe even stop them entirely. That memory-swapping thing is doing bad shit to her, and I don't know if it's worth it. I don't want her to get hurt for... for half a measly compatibility point!”

Bergmann pauses, pursing her lips as she weighs up your words. “Are you finished?” she asks eventually. Her tone is flat and calm, with a hint of mockery dancing around the very edges of her expression. With your righteous enthusiasm rapidly bleeding away, all you can do is pout and nod. “I wasn't going to talk to you about Nate,” the doctor continues, “This is about you and your ADM Unit. We're ready to begin work on another research project. The information that we were able to gather from Eligor has proven very useful.”

“Oh,” you reply, pausing for a while before Bergmann waves for you to approach. Sitting where she gestures, you wait for her to continue – to get to the point.

“The research we do here is vital. Absolutely vital. Not just for the sake of battling Lilim, but for the potential future of all mankind,” Bergmann muses, “Do you remember our little talk about the AT Field? I believe that we're ready to move beyond passive use of its powers. It's time for us to actively engage with these powers. If we are to defeat the Lilim, we will need more than just guns and bombs. Esoteric warfare, Holly. A new paradigm.”

She needn't sound so excited about it all...

[1/2]

>>3395136
>>Other
>They seemed like a disgruntled NERV employee focused more on your guy's shady secrets more than being part of some separate organization. From what little I got from them anyways. With how many blinders and 'Need to knows' you have around here I can understand that a bit.

>>3395185
>One soldier to another
Based

>>3395185
Yes full mindfuck territory

>>3395185
>It's time for us to actively engage with these powers. If we are to defeat the Lilim, we will need more than just guns and bombs. Esoteric warfare, Holly. A new paradigm.”
Wait a minute. Fletcher told us the Traitors wanted to harness Lilim power. Is the Doc a mole?

>>3395214
No?

Who doesn't want to harness Lilim's power? If there is power from an alien source that can be adapted or studied you can be damn sure humanity is going to try to use it.

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>>3395185

“First of all. Diane won't forgive me if I don't warn you about this. AT abilities are dangerous to use in excess. In the short term – like, say, over the course of a single battle – they shouldn't pose any real danger to you. However, our theories suggest that they may pose a potential danger to a user's Ego,” Bergmann pauses, “Do you know what that is?”

“I've seen it mentioned while I'm using the ADM Unit,” you venture, “But I don't really know what it means. I'm guessing it's something to do with controlling the ADM?”

“In a sense. Your Ego and your compatibility score are closely connected. Your compatibility is relatively fixed, allowing for minor variation, and has a more passive role. Your Ego is more active, and more prone to fluctuation. It's... not any one single factor. Rather, we use it as an approximation of several smaller factors,” the doctor explains, “Your mental stamina, your confidence, but also your sense of self. Your identity. Pain, fear, and doubt all present a risk to your Ego, as well as contact with... unnatural forces. Lilim being the most immediate example, but also AT abilities themselves.”

You understood about half of that. Enough, in other words. Nodding in satisfaction, Bergmann taps a key on her computer and displays the current path of her research:

>Ranged Combat Training 1: Grants a +10 bonus to ranged combat rolls
>AT Overdrive: Increase a Success to a Potent Success. Ego cost: 5
>AT Bunker: Nullify Integrity damage from an enemy attack. Ego cost: Half of damage nullified

“Basic training remains a possibility,” Bergmann adds, “But the AT abilities would grant you new options in combat... and I would love the chance to study them for real. Theoretical models can only tell us so much, after all.”

Looking at the computer screen, you consider your options. For your next upgrade...

>Ranged Combat Training 1
>AT Overdrive
>AT Bunker

>>3395246
>AT Overdrive
AT Bunker seems more useful, but AT Overdrive seems more in our wheelhouse.

>>3395246
>AT Overdrive: Increase a Success to a Potent Success. Ego cost: 5
Would have preferred a melee buff but this sounds sorta like a Berserker limit break mode. Works for me.

>>3395246
>>AT Overdrive: Increase a Success to a Potent Success. Ego cost: 5

>>3395246
>AT Overdrive

Only 5 ego for this? OP

>>3395246
>AT Overdrive: Increase a Success to a Potent Success. Ego cost: 5
RIP AND TEAR

>>3395246
>>Ranged Combat Training 1

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>>3395265
BLOOD
BLOOD
PURGE THE TRAITORS

>>3395246
>AT Overdrive
It's time to burn our ego away in pursuit of murder.

“If I agree to test out some of these AT abilities, will you tone down the mad scientist act?” you ask, shooting Bergmann an aside glance. She smile coyly, accepting your point with a tilt of the head. “Then this. AT Overdrive,” you decide, tapping the screen, “The quicker we kill these things, the better... right?”

“That is generally the idea, yes,” Bergmann agrees, jotting down a quick note, “Again, Diane would want us to reserve use of AT abilities for emergencies only, but I think you're smart enough to know your own limits. I'll let the engineering teams know, they can apply the required modifications. When it comes to actually using your new ability... well, I'll have to consult with them about that. Some kind of physical trigger mechanism would work, but we could rig something up with the mind-impulse unit so you just need to give a verbal cue...”

“You mean like... calling my attacks?” you groan, “C'mon, that's kid stuff...”

“And you're still technically a child,” Bergmann counters, still smiling wickedly at you. Then she turns away from you and focuses on writing her notes. Once again, a sly glance over her shoulder reveals nothing legible. Taking this as a dismissal, you start to head back to the dorm. “Oh yes,” the doctor adds as you're leaving, “What you said about ending Natasha's training... have you spoken with her about it?”

You turn back, surprised by the question.

“Have you?” Bergmann repeats, “Or are you trying to decide this for her?”

Biting back an angry response, you march out of her lab.

>Ability acquired: AT Overdrive.

-

Back in the dorm, the noise of the television washes over you even before you've stepped through the door. Kaori is busy watching a basketball game, her sharp eyes flicking back and forth as she follows the flow of the match, while Vic lingers in the kitchen. Judging by the pained look on his face, he's no fan of the sport. Forcing back a faint ghost of Nate's memories, you cross over to join him. “I think Kaori should make that a bit louder,” you joke, “There might be some folk down in the basement who can't hear it.”

“It is rather... yes,” the young man answers, touching a hand to his temple. “This might be an odd question,” he asks suddenly, “But do you have any allergies? I was thinking of baking something, but I don't want to, ah...”

“To kill anyone?” you finish with a laugh, “No. No allergies. What were you making?”

“Cookies. I use walnuts, so I'd have to make a separate batch if you had an allergy,” he explains, gesturing vaguely to the ingredients scattered about, “I'm not exactly a master chef, but I've made these a few times before. Nate likes them, and I wanted to surprise her. Have you seen her today? She said she had a little business to take care of, but I was expecting her back by-”

“Wow, that TV is loud!” Nate calls out, practically exploding through the front door. Speak of the devil.

[1/2]

>>3395311
So are the ADMs just like prototype EVA units or something?

>>3395320
Nah, from it seems, Adam and Lilith switched places. So humans are "angels" of Adam while Lilim are Angels of Lilith. Chances are, Adam is below the base like Lilith was.

>>3395340
But who is Gendo in our setup?

>>3395340
Nigga dont spoil for newbies

>>3395345
I couldn't tell you. I though Kaori was our Rei, but seems like Nate is closer. K might be our Kaworu, but more time is needed.

>>3395349
Almost 24 years, man, if they haven't seen it yet, they'll probably never see it ever.

>>3395311

Coffee cake one day, maple walnut cookies the next... you're going to need to do some extra training at this rate, otherwise you're going to get fat. Breathing in the rich aroma as Vic pulls them out of the oven, you turn to Nate and lower your voice. You don't really need to hush up, with the basketball game providing more than ample background noise, but it feels appropriate for this kind of secretive talk. “More tests?” you ask the girl quietly.

“Huh? No, I just needed to check the library for a book. Studying, you know?” Nate tells you, “It's not like I planned for it to take this long. I just ran into a friend and we got distracted, so... you know how it is!”

“Friends already? You don't hang around,” you murmur, smiling proudly at her only for Nate to give you a confused look.

“Huh?” she replies, “I've been friends with Claire for like, years!”

Her words hit you like a bucket of cold water, even as you realise what must have happened. Another lingering symptom of that first experiment in mental contact, your history with Claire passing over to her. They must have bumped into each other at school, things got confused and then... this. “Weeks,” you correct her gently, “I've known Claire for years. You've only known her for a few weeks. We met on the bus here, remember?”

Nate's jaw hangs slack for a moment, and her eyes cloud over as her own memories rise to the surface. “Right, weeks. I guess I just got confused for a moment there,” she says eventually, laughing at her mistake, “Hey, are those cookies done yet? You're in for a real treat, Holly, they're like super great when you get them hot from the oven. Mmm, I can't wait!” Slipping away from you, Nate hurries into the kitchen to help her brother.

-

Thoughtfully chewing the warm cookie, you try to study Nate without making it too obvious. You're looking for anything familiar, any trace of your own mannerisms in her, but nothing reveals itself. She seems entirely herself again. Shortly after Vic serves up the plate of cookies, Claudia sauntered in and plucked one off of the plate. “Hester would make these better,” the heiress announces after a single bite, “But they'll do. Oh, Holly. Dear Holly.”

“What is it?” you ask, “And don't ever call me that again.”

“Just Holly, then. I bumped into Mister Fletcher on my way down. He mentioned that you were going away soon? I don't know anything about it, but he wanted me to pass this along,” Claudia tells you, passing across a fold of paper. Skimming it over, you realise that it's a shopping list – lots of warm clothes - and a note to keep the receipts so NERV can pick up the bill. “I know a few good places to do your shopping,” Claudia adds, “And I, generous as I am, would be willing to escort you.”

“You're kidding, right?” you mutter to yourself.

>Accept her offer. You won't refuse the help
>Decline the offer. You can do your own shopping
>Other

>>3395399
>Accept her offer. You won't refuse the help

Man I had a feeling Nate was going to get infected with Claire

>>3395399
>Accept her offer. You won't refuse the help
I see no reason to refuse

>>3395399
>>>Accept her offer. You won't refuse the help

>>3395399
>>Accept her offer. You won't refuse the help

>>3395399
>Accept

So generous

You're not sure what to make of this offer but, well... this is a pretty big list that Fletcher has given you. Maybe Claudia can help carry your bags. Then again, considering that it's Claudia that you're talking about... maybe not. Still, you've only explored a little bit of the city, so her guidance might be useful. Too useful to pass up, in fact. If she gets too intolerable, you can always just ditch her somewhere.

“Okay, fine. I graciously accept your gracious offer. Graciously,” you reply, bowing your head in mock deference. Clauda's eyes widen in a fleeting look of surprise, but then she quickly adopts her usual haughty mask.

“You shan't regret this!” she declares, snatching up another cookie from the plate and taking a delicate bite out of it.

-

“So,” the heiress states as you emerge out into the early evening, “What's this trip all about, anyway?”

“Couldn't say for sure. Keeping in touch with the other installations, I guess. Making friends and influencing people. Knowing NERV, a spot of espionage while we're at it,” you reply with a shrug, offering her a crooked smile to tell her that you're joking, “Honestly though? I don't know. Fletcher made it sound like it was just a bit of busywork, but he might have something planned. We don't even know what these other installations are like. Hell, I don't even know where I'm going!”

Claudia snatches the list out of your hands and studies it again. “Somewhere rather cold, I don't doubt. Hmm... Russia,” she guesses, “I've been doing some research of my own. Asking some of the staff about their jobs. An uncommonly high number of them speak Russian as a second language. Japanese and German are also suspiciously common. Make of that what you will.” Handing the note back to you, Claudia gives you an insufferably smug look as she waits for a torrent of praise.

“Russia. Sure, I guess that's a possibility,” you agree with a grudging nod, “I'm not really sure if you should go about calling them “the staff”, though.”

“Why?” Claudia asks, what seems like genuine confusion in her voice, “Isn't that what they are?”

Sighing, you abandon the debate before it can begin. Even you can recognise a pointless argument when you see one coming. Instead, you give the list another look over. Honestly, there's nothing here that would be all that difficult to find. You hardly needed an escort for this... which makes you wonder about Claudia's motives. Once you start asking questions, it's awfully easy to suspect everyone of being up to no good.

“Here we are!” Claudia announces, pointing up to brightly lit window replete with glamorous gowns.

“Uh...” you pause, “We're not going to buy thermal underwear HERE, are we?”

“It's window shopping,” the heiress stresses, “It's therapeutic. Scientifically proven!”

You'd like to see that research for yourself.

[1/2]

>>3395461

Thoughts of practical clothes are soon forgotten as Claudia leads you down the glamorous shopping street, cooing and gushing at every window you pass. Silks and rich velvets, dresses that drip with sequins, handbags sewn from genuine leather... you're not exactly poor, but this is an utterly alien world to you. Your folks were never flashy with their money, pouring most of it back into the business. This kind of luxury just feels unreal.

Claudia is absolutely in her element, though. She points out tiny details that you never would have noticed, names designers as if they were personal friends, and suggests outfits that would suit your frame. When she finally runs out of things to say, you feel obliged to offer a reply. “You sure do know a lot about this stuff,” you tell her, “Did your mom tell you about it?”

A bad question to ask, apparently, if the long silence is any indication. “It's all online these days,” Claudia replies eventually, waving your question away with a breezy gesture, “I liked to wander the estate, but sometimes the weather just doesn't cooperate – when it rains for three days straight, you have a lot of time to do your research.” Pausing by a tall window, Claudia examines her reflection. “Fashion fascinated me. The value people placed in simple cloth. I saw a whole other world there,” she thinks aloud to herself, “A whole world outside of the estate.”

“Wait,” you murmur, “Were you like, stuck there? You never went to the city or... anywhere else?”

“Why would I leave?” she replies with a terse shrug, “As a rule, Second Impact was not kind to England, but the Rainer Estate was spared the worst of the damage. I grew up in Eden, Holly. The outside world fascinated me, it's true, but I knew that there was nothing there for me. Of course, that all changed when...”

Silence. “When... what?” you ask. It's odd to hear Claudia talking like this, talking about herself in a more serious manner. No flippant mockery now, no arrogance. Well... maybe a little bit of arrogance.

“When NERV contacted me with their offer,” she finishes stiffly, “Eden can never last, Holly. Eventually, even Adam and Eve had to go out into the world and find their own path.” Her words, you consider, have an odd cadence to them. A strangely rehearsed note, as if she had been waiting for a long time to deliver them. Before you can think further on this, the heiress spins around and points a finger at you. “Now then!” she barks, “You need to do your shopping, young lady!”

“Right,” you grunt, looking up at the darkening sky, “Before the shops close for the night.”

>It's a little early, but I think I'm going to close things here for today. Second Daughter will continue next Friday, and I should have an interlude episode ready for midweek
>Thank you for your patience today!

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>>3395586
A fun time as always

>>3395586
Thanks for running Moloch.

How long until we infect the entire NERV facility with Claire?

>>3395586
Thanks for running!
So, is Claire our Kaworu?

>>3395586
Thanks for running!

>>3395586
Thanks for running!

Why would Claudia call her home Eden instead of Paradise?

>>3395618
I suppose we could introduce her to a few more people, although she's pretty shy. Still, it's good to meet new people, right?
>>3395634
Maybe you're overthinking this. She's just a friend!
>>3395669
I wonder. Maybe Claudia just tries to talk fancy in order to look smart. I mean, Eden and Paradise - same thing, right?

>>3395721
Pretty close.
One of them is apparently available while the other has a long road to get there though.

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Personal Log [Encrypted]
April, 2021

Have they found me already? No, if they knew what I was doing, they wouldn't just sit back and wait... would they?

When I came into work this morning, I found an e-mail from head office. Just a little note “reminding” everyone about the internal security policy. Don't tell the pilots anything they don't need to know, don't EVER talk to the media without direct orders, the list goes on and on. What it amounts to is “shut up and follow orders”. They won't ever let us forget our place, either, with these constant reminders.

But I don't care. I've been digging, but it's harder than I expected. NERV operates under UN supervision, but the further up the ladder I look, the harder it is to find any solid information. I look for names, for individuals, but all I find are vague committees and mountains of red tape. If I can't get anywhere by searching at the top, then I'll start at the very bottom. Look into the pilots themselves, see if there's anything I missed.

Reynolds first. We've all been briefed on her current situation, but her school records caught my eye. The name “Compass Academy” seemed familiar, so I searched through the news archives. A year back, a group of students went missing and the matter was never solved. A boarding school for troubled youths... it's not all that surprising that there would be runaways, probably lured away into some gang or whatever, but this case should have been investigated more carefully. From what I can tell, it was mostly brushed under the rug and ignored. To protect the school's reputation?

Have to see if I can dig up any names, see if Reynolds knew any of the missing kids. Call it a hunch.

When I was checking over the Rainer and Saitou files, I found something new. Something I missed from before, or something that was sent over more recently. Either way, they seem to be excerpts from their psych reports – or rather, a different set of psych reports. Doctor Elizabeth Matheson... I don't recognise the name. If they're from head office, I might be able to follow them higher up the ladder. This could be the break I've been looking for.

I've copied the relevant information, and I'll archive it here. Important files here have a nasty habit of “going missing” or being redacted whenever head office feels like it. I'm already incriminating myself with this journal, so what the hell.

[1/3]

>>3403721

Initial Observations
Subject: Saitou, Kaori

Contrary to what many believed after Berlin, Saitou is NOT damaged beyond use. However, it may prove necessary to alter our plans considerably. I'll submit my full report in due time, but my initial observations are worth noting. Before the Berlin incident, I had high hopes for Saitou – she wholeheartedly believed in our overt cause, and she was willing to risk her life for that goal. Sadly, the Berlin incident went a long way towards changing that. It is my belief that she still supports NERV, but out of obligation.

More concerning is the indecision Saitou has recently shown in combat simulations. She has shown a tendency to freeze up under pressure, and a hazardous degree of hesitation when required to act under her own initiative. In her current state, I cannot recommend assigning Saitou as the lead pilot. However, she remains effective in combat when provided with careful instructions. If anything, the incident seems to have made her more obedient. If this continues, she may be an excellent candidate for the Metatron Program.

I have spoken with Saitou three times in the aftermath of the Berlin incident, and she has given me inconsistent accounts of the events. Her initial account claimed that she was ordered to engage the Lilim immediately. However, when presented with radio transcripts and recordings proving the opposite – that she was ordered NOT to engage – she claimed, instead, to have no memory of engaging the Lilim in close combat. I found her claims of a blackout to be unconvincing, and she herself clearly did not believe them. On a third interview, she gave me what is now believed to be taken as the official version of events.

Recommendation: Keep Saitou isolated from the media as much as possible. Have Public Relations manipulate the story, and bury it as soon as possible. Engineer some celebrity scandal if you need to. Exposure to a hostile media could be highly damaging to Saitou's compatibility.

Furthermore, I suggest replacing Saitou as lead pilot. Reynolds is a good candidate to replace her, but she may be more unstable than first thought. Moore would be my first choice, for obvious reasons, but Fisher is also a potential candidate.

[2/3]

>>3403724

Interview Transcript
Subject: Rainer, Claudia

Elizabeth Matheson: I'm glad to finally meed you, Claudia. We've all been very curious about you.
Claudia Rainer: Oh? Curious how, exactly?
EM: Namely, I'm wondering why you might volunteer for the program.
CR: Isn't that obvious? I want to protect all of mankind!
EM: I see. And you did you REALLY volunteer for the program?
[Pause, approximately twenty seconds.]
CR: Was it that obvious? Very well then... I'm interested in power. Don't misunderstand me please, I'm not some power-hungry maniac. I'm just fascinated by it, by the concept of it all. So, I did a little digging of my own – a little research into what you're doing here. Berlin?
EM: I'm not at liberty to talk about that now, I'm afraid.
CR: Of course not. Still, there you have it. I have one other question, if I may. My first answer, that tiresome “protecting mankind” idea... how did you know I didn't really mean that?
EM: You're not the only one who did her research, Claudia. We've investigated your background. After what happened at your home-
CR: Excuse me, Doctor, but I was told that you'd be respecting my boundaries here. My boundaries are feeling rather disrespected right now.
EM: Still a sensitive subject, I see.
CR: Really putting that psychology diploma to good use, aren't we?
[Interview terminated]

Comment: I understand that a certain degree of instability is to be expected, but I have serious doubts about Rainer. If we're going to bring her on as a pilot, she needs to be taught her place. Putting her in command of an operation would be a serious mistake, I fear. Keep her subordinate to start with. If she protests too much, dismiss her. With luck, she'll learn a little humility. Try to study her as much as possible while she's available – her compatibility score is unusually high, and I want to know why.

>This concludes today's interlude episode – regular updates will resume on Friday
>Thank you for reading along today!

>>3403724
Ah, SEELIEruns!

>>3403726
Oh no

We're playing into NERVs plans by putting Claudia down

Gotta stop busting her nose I guess

>>3403729
I fear we might play into Lilim's plans by not putting her down.

>>3403721
I wonder if this is Monroe's personal log. She did (try to) ask Holly about the missing kids in a very unsubtle manner.

>>3403724
>Moore
>Fisher

Pilot candidates that we haven't met?

>>3403732
Wow so there's no way to win? Railroad quest choo choo.

>>3403721
Hey Moloch do the co pilots do damage as well when they attack narratively i.e. Kaori shooting Flauros or does only Holly's 'damage' really matter and get tracked?

Does Holly give any bonuses to the others?

>>3403729
I'm curious if Claudia is the mole

>>3403769
If that's Monroes log then it screams Phantom

>>3403828
I really don't think these interludes and Phantom are the same person

>>3403800
I don't track separate damage from the co-pilots. Their attacks/abilities are represented through their support skills. I did consider some ideas for the co-pilots attacking directly, but I couldn't really get it work in an elegant manner. There's one idea I do have, but it won't come into play for a while yet

As a co-pilot, Holly would likely enhance close combat damage. I wonder if we'll ever see her relegated to second-in-command?

>>3403884
>I wonder if we'll ever see her relegated to second-in-command?

Considering the instability? Probably. Or there might be a mission where ranged attacks will be only ones that matter and Kaori is better or something.

File: NERVop2.5.png (603 KB, 900x700)

603 KB PNG

You get most of your shopping done before the stores close, but there are still a few bits and pieces you need to pick up. Time enough for that later. To your surprise, Claudia does carry one of your bags as you're heading back to HQ... the smallest, lightest bag, true, but you appreciate the gesture. As you're walking back, a thought occurs to you. “So hey, Claudia,” you ask, “If you never got out much when you were a kid, I guess you didn't meet many people, huh?”

“I wouldn't say that. Father was often around, and Hester was never far away. We're almost sisters in that regard. Then there was the staff, of course, but... one doesn't go out of their way to mingle with that sort of people,” Claudia replies, pausing to study a jewelled necklace in a shop window, “Cut glass. Worthless crap. I'm sorry, what were you saying?”

“...Nothing important,” you mutter, plastic bags rustling as you shift your burden from one hand to the other.

“I thought as much,” the heiress agrees, a smirk playing across her lips. Looking away from the cut glass jewellery, she studies you at almost uncomfortable length. “I must confess, I had an ulterior motive in offering to do this,” she admits, “Fletcher mentioned that I'll be in command here while you're away. I was expecting Kaori to get the job, but... well, apparently she's more of a follower than a leader. It's a terrible burden, being chosen to lead, but I have a duty to shoulder it.”

An ulterior motive. Of course. “So... what?” you ask her with a shrug, “You nervous or something? Just don't fuck up. It's not hard.”

“Ah, of course! Why didn't I think of that?” Claudia scoffs, slapping a hand to her brow and letting out a derisive laugh. “I'm not that worried. The computers aren't predicting a Lilim encounter in the immediate future and, fool that I am, I believe them,” she continues, her voice growing more serious, “But... I was wondering if you had any advice to share. From one pilot to another. I'm not so stubborn as to refuse help if I can get it.”

“It's not like there's any super special trick to it or anything. It's like Bergmann told us with this compatibility stuff. You can either do it, or you can't,” you offer after a pause for thought, “That's not very helpful, is it?”

“No, it really isn't,” Claudia sighs, “Well, at least I shan't be going in with no field experience at all. If there IS some need for combat – and, as I said, I'm not expecting trouble – then I'll just order Kaori to do all the heavy lifting and hope for the best. Delegation is an important part of leadership, don't you know.”

“And I'm sure you've had plenty of practice,” you shoot back, continuing on your way back to NERV headquarters.

[1/2]

>>3409119

It's late when you get back to HQ, and later still by the time you get back to the dorms, owing to a fault in the express elevators. Not much of an “express” elevator, then, as Claudia bitterly points out. As such, she slinks away into her bedroom as soon as you arrive back into the dorm, pausing only to nod a greeting to Hester. The maid is sitting at the kitchen table, gently sipping a cup of hot chocolate. Not yet tired enough to sleep, you sit down beside the maid and let out a long sigh.

“I do hope that Miss Rainer wasn't too much of an inconvenience today,” Hester begins softly, her words melodious.

“Huh? No, she was fine,” you reply vaguely, “She helped out. Even carried one of the bags back.”

“Really? I am surprised,” the maid muses, her brows lifting slightly, “Miss Rainer is... well, it can take some time for her to show her best side. Even then, she can be rather self-centred. It's rare to see her lifting a finger to help someone else, even a friend.”

Something about Hester's words nags at you. “Don't you think that's strange?” you ask her, “Claudia coming out here to fight, I mean. If she's really so selfish, why would she risk her life to work for NERV when she could just... I don't know, when she could just stay at home and let us do all the hard work?” Hester very deliberately leaves this unanswered, blowing delicately on her drink before taking a sip. “Sure, I get it. Mind my own business,” you continue, “But like, I'm curious about it. About her. Don't tell her I said that.”

“Oh?” Hester murmurs, “Why not?”

“She might take it as a compliment,” you reply wryly. Recognising this as a cool line to end the conversation on, you rise.. only for your exit to be ruined as your balance fails. Staggering, you nearly fall to the floor as your vision swims. Hester hurries over – without ever seeming to lose her serene demeanour – and grabs your arm. “I'm fine, I'm fine,” you assure her, “Just felt a little faint, that's all. Long day.”

“You are NOT fine!” the maid stresses, pressing her cool palm to your forehead, “Holly, you've got a fever, you need to go to the infirmary!”

A fever? But not even five minutes ago, you were just fine. You even had a medical check before Bergmann's last bout of research, and there were no problems then. So... what? Slowly straightening up, you feel another wave of dizziness wash over you. Not as bad this time. “I think I'm fine,” you insist, shaking Hester's hand away.

Tutting, Hester moves over to the sofa and starts fluffing up a cushion. “Well if you won't go to the infirmary, at least rest here for a little bit!” she demands, fussing over you like an anxious young mother, “This way, I can make sure you don't get any worse!”

>You're fine – you just need your own bed
>The sofa it is. Maybe you shouldn't be alone right now
>Perhaps the infirmary would be a good idea after all
>Other

>>3409123
>The sofa it is. Maybe you shouldn't be alone right now
"Thanks"

>>3409123
>>The sofa it is. Maybe you shouldn't be alone right now

>>3409123
>Perhaps the infirmary would be a good idea after all

mMan what if she drugged us haha

>>3409123
>The sofa it is. Maybe you shouldn't be alone right now

A word of protest rises to your lips, but it never quite finds its way out of your mouth. Closing your eyes for a second, you feel a heat burning behind your lids. Maybe, just maybe, she has a point. You might not have been ill before, but you're certainly not well now. So, still not quite trusting yourself to speak, you nod haltingly. “Sofa,” you manage to rasp, “Guess you can bring me water if I need it.”

“As is my purpose,” Hester assures you calmly, taking your arm and guiding you down to the sofa. As you lie back and try to make yourself comfortable, you hear a faint clink of glass as the maid tidies up in the kitchen. Then running water, the sound seeming to wash over you like the ocean.

The sound of water and a terrible heat. You find your mind rushing back to your first time within the ADM Unit, to your battle with Flauros. This time, though, the memories are raw and savage – stripped of the distance, the isolation provided by the entry plug. You feel your flesh burn as the Lilim strikes you, and you feel the monster's blood on your hands as you plunge the knife in. Stirring on the sofa, you hear a low moan escape your lips.

“Shh...” someone says, “I'm here.”

Cracking open one eye, you gaze up at an unfamiliar face. An older woman, smiling beatifically down at you. She touches your brow with a cool hand, and you feel some of your tension bleeding away. This sensation, this... motherly love... is cruelly unfamiliar, although you instinctively know it for what it is. Clinging to the sensation with all the strength you can muster, you engrave the moment upon your heart. All along, is this what you've been yearning for?

“Don't worry, Natasha,” the woman murmurs, “I won't leave you. The morning will come soon, and then all will be well.”

“Na...” you try to whisper, but this time your words are cut off as bitterness wells up within your throat. Of course. Of course that's what this is. This could never have been one of YOUR memories. This is just a cruel joke, a reminder of what you've never... what you can never...

The alien memories retreat like the waves pulling away from a beach, and you realise that Hester is the one peering down at you. Her face is conflicted, her eyes wide with a rare show of uncertainty. “Was I...” you mumble, “Did I say any...”

“Hush now,” the maid interrupts you quickly, dabbing at your brow with a damp cloth, “This will all be over soon, I'm sure of it.”

Placing your faith in this bland, banal promise, you allow your eyes to drift shut again. This time, there are no fevered memories... but a hot coal of anger remains burning deep in your gut. An anger born of jealousy, jealousy for all that you've been denied.

[1/2]

>>3409180

In the early hours of the morning, your fever breaks. It's a clean break – one minute you're burning up, the next you feel perfectly normal. Cracking open one eye, you spy Hester dozing in a nearby chair with an old book resting in her lap. Very old, you realise as you carefully pick it up, and very flowery if the cover is any indication. An old romance from the days when men were men and women wore corsets. Not really your thing. Opening it, you read a small handwritten note on the inside cover.

“Hester – you may not remember me, but I will never forget you,” you whisper to yourself, “Love, mother.”

“The only connection she has with her mother. With either of her parents, really,” a low voice calls out from behind you. Claudia reaches over, snatching the book out of your hands. “It seems rather foolish to me. A book does not make for a very good heirloom,” she continues, “It's fragile, for one thing, and it's neither useful nor appealing to the eye. Still, it's what they chose to give her – I suppose we should respect that.”

You're not sure what to say. Even Hester has more connecting her to...

No. That's a bad line of thought to go down.

-

As you're eating breakfast, Commander Monroe stops by. She casts a longing eye at the pile of pancakes and syrup before sighing and resigning herself to her duty. “Holly,” she begins, “Did you feel strange last night? Maybe, ah... ill?”

Considering that they have this place under close observation, she probably didn't need to ask that. “Felt like I had a bit of a fever,” you offer, your words hollow, “It didn't last long. I'm ready for duty now.”

“Right, yes. Ingrid did say that you might feel something. It was a possible side-effect of the alterations she made to your ADM Unit. Not dangerous, but it can be a little unpredictable,” Monroe nods happily to herself, “Well, she just wanted me to let you know. I can't really stop to join you for breakfast, unfortunately. I've got an important meeting soon, so... let's all do our best today!”

“She's awfully chirpy today,” Vic notes after Monroe has hurried out, “Or is she always like this?”

“Always like this,” Kaori mutters, prodding listlessly at her breakfast. Perhaps it's too sweet for her. “I'm heading out early,” she adds after a moment, “I don't want to be late for school, and the express elevators are still having difficulties.”

“School, yuck,” Claire whispers to you, “Hey, wanna cut class today? We can do... I dunno, something else instead. I bet Monroe wishes she could skip HER boring old meeting!”

Maybe so, but a commander has SOME responsibilities. Cutting class wouldn't be too tough – they seem pretty laid back – but what would you do instead? Something fun, or perhaps...

>Head to school as normal
>Cut class and... (Write in)
>Other

>>3409248
>Head to school as normal
"After these past few days I could use a little normal today Claire."

>>3409248
>>Head to school as normal

>>3409248
>Head to school as normal
Routines help with the terrors!

>>3409248
>Head to school as normal
no mention of how adjustments to an ADM that is literally not plugged to her in any way affecting her is werid?

Some distance from the ADM will be good, anyway.

>>3409273
Well in Evangelion the EVA and the pilot do share a 'connection' in a sense. What that connection is I won't say due to spoilers if you haven't seen it, but there might be something similar going on in here though probably morphed to fit into Second Daughter's AU.

>>3409248
>Cut class and... (Write in)
Hit the town! Can't be responsible all the time.

“I think I'd rather have some normal right about now, Claire,” you mutter back, “Got too much going on right now. I want to get out and see the sun for a little.”

“Aww...” she sighs, “I was hoping you'd give me an excuse to cut class as well. Now I feel like I gotta go too. I mean, if I'm not there to keep an eye on you, who knows what kind of trouble you might get yourself into?”

Rude, to be honest.

-

You end up leaving early as well, with the heavy scent of syrup eventually making you feel nauseous. The fresh air comes as a welcome relief, and the express elevators are working perfectly when you get there. Things might actually be looking up for you. Despite her talk of heading to school early, Kaori is waiting outside HQ when you arrive back up at the surface. Spotting you, she nods briskly and hurries over. Is that the faintest hint of a relieved smile on her face?

“Monroe,” Kaori begins, gesturing for you to follow her away from HQ. It might look like a normal warehouse on the outside, but you just know the outside of the building is covered with all kinds of monitoring devices. Once you're a safe distance away, Kaori turns to you. “So your ADM Unit was able to influence you, even when you're outside of it,” she states bluntly, “Please tell me that you think that's strange.”

Slowly, you nod. “I'm starting to think that,” you admit, “Monroe didn't exactly stick around to host a question and answer session, did she? Awfully convenient...” Pausing for a moment, you can't quite stop a smirk from finding its way onto your face. “So,” you tease, “Are you still happy with following orders and not asking questions?”

“I never said...” Kaori snaps, half-raising a hand as if to strike you before thinking better of it, “I'm just not happy about this. They didn't warn us that this might have happened.”

“Maybe they didn't know,” you suggest, “Bergmann is always talking about her theories and her research, but how much practical knowledge do they actually have? Like shit, they probably know barely more than we do!” Laughing humourlessly, you throw your hands up in a wild shrug. “But what are we supposed to do about it? Start a union and go on strike?” you continue, your already frayed temper taking control as you goad Kaori, “Yeah, sure. I bet they'll really appreciate that!”

Drawing in a deep breath, Kaori turns and marches off in the direction of your school. Scoffing quietly, you glance around to see Claire watching within earshot, her face set in a lopsided smile. “There it is,” she chuckles as she saunters over, “The famous Reynolds friendship technique!”

“I know, I know,” you sigh, “Too harsh, right?”

“Too harsh? No way!” Claire shakes her head, “She needs a kick up the ass, that one. About time someone gave her one.”

Maybe so, but...

[1/2]

>>3409342
Claire I'm beginning to think you're our 'Devil on the shoulder'

>>3409342

You wanted something boring and routine, and you certainly got it. The first half of the day is spent in a haze of geography – studying the effects of Second Impact on various stretches of coastline – and other sciences. You perk up a little when the subject of England comes up, thinking of Claudia. The country suffered badly from unpredictable weather patterns, with winds blowing up all the way from China and India – both still radioactive from what the teacher calls “their little atomic squabble”. When the subject sinks back into the boring minutia of crop growth, you sink back into your daydream.

Even if Monroe is just bickering about the yearly budget, it would surely be more interesting than this.

At lunch, you wander out onto the baseball field and spot Clay practising his swing by himself. He swings at nothing, pauses, then swings again. “Need someone to pitch?” you call out to him, causing the boy to glance around.

“Nah,” he decides after a moment, resting the bat over one shoulder and crossing over to join you. “The others were skipping class today, said there was some movie they wanted to see. Guess I could have gone with them, but I wasn't feeling it. Feeling kinda weird, actually,” he pauses here, biting his lip a little as he considers some private doubt, “Mind if we talk a little? I'm warning you now, I might say some pretty weird crap.”

Shrugging, you gesture to the bench and sit. “Whatever you've got to say,” you assure him, “It ain't gonna be the strangest thing I've heard today.”

Clay frowns a little at this, as if wounded by some imagined implication. “A few years back, I did something pretty bad. Smashed up this guy's car with a bat just like this one. I had it coming, though!” he adds these last few words hastily, before you can say anything, “This old guy... well, not that old. You know the kind of guy who hits his forties and gets real mean? That was this guy all over. He lived in our old neighbourhood. When I was walking back from school one day, I saw him kicking his dog. I mean really kicking the poor thing. Shit just got me so mad.”

“So...” you guess, “You smashed up the guy's car?”

“Yeah,” Clay winces, “I went over at night and gave it a good working over. This guy loved his car more than anything else, and I guess... I just wanted to hurt him. Kinda crazy, huh? I don't even like dogs all that much.”

After thinking on this, a question pops into your head. “So what happened to the dog?” you ask.

“I don't know. I never saw him walking it again. Kinda hope he gave it away to a better home, but... I guess that's pretty optimistic, huh?” shaking his head, Clay lets out a sigh, “Chances are, I just made the whole situation a lot worse. Pretty dumb thing for me to do, huh?”

>Yeah, “pretty dumb” might be an understatement
>I guess you meant well
>You should have gone after the guy himself, not his car
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3409387
>I guess you meant well
>You should have gone after the guy himself, not his car

Holly "Genocider" Reynolds

>>3409387
>Yeah, “pretty dumb” might be an understatement

>>3409387
>>I guess you meant well

>>3409387
>I guess you meant well

>>3409387
JUSTICE
>You should have gone after the guy himself, not his car
KNEES FOR THE KNEE GOD

“I guess you meant well,” you venture, picturing the situation in your mind. It's not hard for you to imagine how Clay might have felt, and you feel your hands clenching into tight fists. “But going after his car was the only dumb bit of it,” you add, “You should have gone after the guy himself.”

“What?” Clay splutters, “That's... Jeez, Holly, that's kinda scary.” Laughing nervously, he hops up from the bench and stands a few paces away, lightly swinging his baseball bat through the air as if imagining how it might have felt. The way the bat would shudder, the tremor running all the way up his arms with every blow. “I guess I might have done it, though, if I'd been older. Braver. It's tough being a kid, y'know? We're pretty much powerless,” he thinks aloud, “If I stepped up to that guy, he would have put me on my ass.”

“So get back up again,” you stress, “And don't stop getting up until he's the one on his ass.”

“Yeah, but wouldn't he just stand up then?” the boy points out, “That sounds like fun, we could take turns knocking each other out!”

Laughing at the image this puts into your mind, you give him a shrug. “I don't know, man. You asked me what I thought,” you tell him, “Why are you telling me this, anyway?”

“I don't know. I mean, I guess I kinda do. You seemed like the sort of person who would “get it”, you know? You'd understand what I was talking about. As for why I was thinking about it in the first place... oh man, this is dumb,” he winces again, “I saw a car today that looked just like his. One of those big muscle car things, the sort that you don't see them much these days, in the same shade of blue. It just... got me thinking. If you hadn't come along, I guess I would have been restless all day. I already had my teachers complain about how fidgety I was being...”

As if beckoned by the mention of your classes, the bell rings. Yelping, Clay glances around before looking back to you. “You're pretty cool, y'know?” he remarks, flashing you a roguish smile before hurrying off.

Your fever must be coming back – why else would your cheeks be feeling hot?

-

Just as your last class is finishing for the day, you take out your phone and check the screen. Twenty missed calls – all from Monroe. Even as you're scrolling down the list of times – all within the last hour – the commander rings again. “Holly. Good. Glad I caught you,” Monroe begins swiftly, as soon as you answer the call, “Are you still in school?”

“My last class literally ended two minutes ago,” you point out, “So yes, obviously.”

“Good. Great. Stay there until I call you again. That's an order – I'll explain everything later,” Monroe pauses, “And... stay away from any large windows. Just a precaution.”

The call ends there, leaving you holding a silent phone in your hand. “All I wanted,” you whisper to yourself, “Was a normal day.”

[1/2]

>>3409452
>“And... stay away from any large windows.

Are they worried we are going to get sniped? Honestly not even surprised.

>>3409452
>your cheeks be feeling hot
Stop it. Holly is for Vic.

>>3409466
Gross. We aren't a brocon.

Wait...

>>3409452

The school library is nestled in the heart of the building, well away from any large windows, which makes it a decent place to hide until Monroe gives the all clear. As you walk, you consider her strange request and reach sort of a conclusion. Large windows can break into a whole bunch of sharp glass, and windows can be broken by... well, by a lot of things. Earthquakes, for one, but also bomb blasts. Some new threat from Wormwood?

Resigning yourself to being kept in the dark, you enter the cool darkness of the library and glance about. Spotting Vic writing notes at one of the desks, you approach and sit opposite him. “Hey,” you whisper, “Got a question for you. Was Nate ever like, ill when she was a kid?”

Vic looks up, brushing a lock of his wild hair away from his face as he considers your question. “She had a fever once. It was quite bad, as I recall. I was visiting a relative for a few days, so I wasn't there to witness it first hand. It was bad enough that our mom stayed home to look after her. Our folks are usually... absent. Working. So, for her to drop everything and care for Nate, that was quite surprising,” he pauses, thinks to himself, “Although that's just what any mother would do, I suppose.”

Those words jab at you like needles, but of course, he doesn't know that. “Did you get that call from Monroe?” you ask him, happily changing the subject, “Seemed like a security thing.”

“Oh right, yes. It wasn't Commander Monroe herself, but I was warned to stay inside. I suppose this must all be very routine for you, by now,” sighing, he leans his chin on one hand and stares off into space, “Can I be honest with you for a second?”

“Why?” you joke, “Have you been dishonest until now?”

“What? No, I didn't mean..” Vic hastily explains, his eyes widening before he realises the joke, “Oh, no, okay. Bad choice of wording, I'm sorry.” Shaking his head, the young man carefully closes his notebook and meets your eyes. “I'd like you to keep this conversation private,” he continues, “That includes Nate. I don't like keeping things from her – and I'm not going to keep this from her forever – but I need to tread carefully here. What I'm saying is... I think coming here was a bad idea. For both of us.”

“Ah,” you reply. What a pathetic response.

“This place has been bad for Nate. She's nervous, agitated. I don't think she's sleeping well, but she won't talk to me. Even when we're just talking, just making casual conversation, I feel like she's trying to hide something from me,” Vic confesses, “And... I don't think this place suits ME either. The security, the secrecy, this constant air of... something going on beneath the surface. I just want to take Nate and go home.”

Having said this, he lapses into an expectant silence.

And then your phone rings.

[2/3]

>>3409519
>“This place has been bad for Nate. She's nervous, agitated. I don't think she's sleeping well, but she won't talk to me.

Getting Holly memories complete with parents that hate you/deny your existence and getting some of Holly's mannerisms will do that I imagine. Holly got off easy in the trade.

>>3409387
>>You should have gone after the guy himself, not his car
What did the car do to deserve such cruel treatment?

>>3409551
And this is why you refresh before you post

>>3409519

Accusing eyes stare into you from all around, and you mumble vague apologies as you fumble out your phone. Of course, you know who's calling you.

“You can come on back to HQ now,” Monroe begins, “We've got everything squared away, so you don't need to worry about a thing. We're sending a car now, so keep an eye out. Ah... Sorry about the inconvenience, this whole thing wasn't entirely, well, planned.”

“I'm sure,” you agree, “You don't need to send a car, though, it's not like it's too far to-” The call ends, and you're left holding a silent phone for the second time today. “Not too far to walk,” you mutter to yourself, glaring at the phone before looking back up to Vic, “Uh... sorry about that. Hey, at least we can head back home... back to HQ now!”

“I might stay here a while longer,” Vic decides, tapping his notebook with his pen, “The dorms aren't really very good for working in. Not exactly a quiet place to study.” Shrugging to this, you rise to leave but Vic stops you with a gesture. Holding up a finger, he considers his next words with care. “What I told you about,” he ventures, “What do you... think?”

“What do I think?” you repeat, “You mean, do you want me to tell you what to do? Because I think we both know what the obvious thing is.”

“Talk to Nate, I know. As I said, I'm planning to do just that,” the young man sighs, “But I'm still trying to figure out what to tell her. It's hard, for me. She wants to be here, to do her part, so badly. Am I being selfish for wanting to leave?”

>No, you're not. If you can't stay here, then just tell her that
>You're supposed to be looking after her, aren't you? Then you need to stay
>Maybe I'm selfish as well, but I don't want you to leave
>I think... (Write in)
>Other

>>3409553
>>No, you're not. If you can't stay here, then just tell her that

>>3409553
>No, you're not. If you can't stay here, then just tell her that
"But I think she does need you. More than you think. That's not fair for you I know, but I think it's the truth. If you do go I'll try and look after her, but I can't be that anchor to her family or a form of normalcy like you can."

>>3409553
>No, you're not. If you can't stay here, then just tell her that

>>3409553
>>No, you're not. If you can't stay here, then just tell her that